


What it's Worth

by loeysxdaisies



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, BaekYeol - Freeform, Fluff, Graphic Violence, I mean they're pirates so, I'm a slut for this au, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Language, M/M, Minor Character Death, Smut, but what's new for me, how do I tag what, please show Exo pirate au's some love, that's a new tag peep it and be warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:55:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14900105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loeysxdaisies/pseuds/loeysxdaisies
Summary: Chanyeol just wanted a simple life on the seas. He already had power, and wealth, and he'd fallen in love.Baekhyun, on the other hand, couldn't seem to stay still and keep himself out of trouble. Add that with his innate ability to take everything to heart and disappear, and he was a world of trouble for the ship's quartermaster.And, of course, Chanyeol was tasked with going after him. As per usual.So why were these circumstances so unusual?





	1. The Night

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first chaptered fic I'm posting!! I've had the first few chapters written for a while, they'll probably get uploaded once a week or so (as I finish them). Idk how long it'll be total but I'm thinking 4 or 5 chapters plus a prologue.
> 
> This fic is based loosely off the Pirates of the Carribean franchise and [this fanart](https://adamasto.deviantart.com/art/EXO-pirates-454467682) I found online (the original artist is linked). I changed a few of their positions and everything, but this is the main inspiration for this fic.
> 
> I did a lot of research on pirate legends and traditions and stuff to try and make this as historically accurate as I could. I did take creative liberty though, so their ship's culture is like a mix between civilized pirates and a military ship. There isn't a specific time period of where this is centered, but it's kind of a time when pirates were regular and had majority control over the seas.
> 
> It's pretty unusual to have both a first mate *and* a quartermaster on a ship, but that's what is necessary for the plot so bear with me, please. I got most of my information on pirate positions and ships on [this website](http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/pirate-life/who-is-who/), feel free to check it out and comment if you have any questions, I'll do my best to clarify everything.
> 
> I would highly recommend listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack when you read this, that's what I listen to when I write and it really gets me in the zone and transports me to the pirate world.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!! The first chapter is supposed to be more of a prologue, so it's a bit shorter than what the rest of the chapters are going to be.

It never took long for Chanyeol to fall asleep on nights like these.

The night was clear. There was a full moon, and thanks to the facing of the ship Chanyeol could see it through his porthole, positioned right over his bunk in the corner. The moon shone brightly over the still water, an almost perfect circle reflected just below where the actual moon was. He almost couldn’t tell where the ocean stopped and the sky started, and it appeared as though the earth had two moons rather than one. Were it not for the millions of stars in the clear sky, Chanyeol probably would have believed it.

Chanyeol laid in bed in nothing but a pair of trousers tied loosely around his waist with a heavy blanket coming to rest about at his belly button. He had his arms crossed behind his head as he looked out the window, watching the moon and counting the stars. He figured Jongdae was having an absolute field day, their young navigator loved the stars not just for navigating, but because he simply loved them, and that was that. Entirely understandable, for Chanyeol loved them for the same reason.

Chanyeol could just barely hear footsteps pacing the deck above him. He had gotten to the point where he could identify most of the officers by the way they walked. Captain Kim, Suho, walked with a sense of confidence, like every step was meticulously thought out and placed. Jongdae walked lightly, almost as if he was trying to be unnoticeable. Kris walked as though he was the most important person on the ship, his steps harsh and his footfalls heavy. Chanyeol liked to think that he himself walked much like Suho, with confidence but also with a newfound softness (he wasn’t nearly as harsh on the crew as he was a year ago, a certain _first mate_ had mellowed him out a bit).

And then there was Baekhyun. The small first mate walked quietly, though not in the sense of Jongdae, with fear of waking people up. No, the first mate walked as though he were a fox, creeping around the ship and _watching_ , always watching and storing away information. He walked the same way he spoke, like it was planned and carried out flawlessly, like he had no idea the power he really held over the crew. But he did. Baekhyun knew just how to handle the crew and just how to keep them in line. His young, innocent face did wonders at hiding the harshness underneath, often catching people by surprise, the way he barked orders and threats all with a bright smile.

Of course, that was only one of the many things Park Chanyeol loved about Byun Baekhyun.

Chanyeol listened to the footsteps above him while keeping his eyes trained out the porthole. Baekhyun was up there on deck, he always liked to be up with Jongdae when the young navigator stayed up reading the stars. Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun was learning, little by little, how to better read the stars himself so that he could become less dependent on Jongdae, always having to locate the young man whenever anyone had a question about their facing.

Chanyeol recognized Jongdae’s footsteps as well, and Xiumin’s, the pilot’s footsteps reminding him of a cat. Always sneaking around, always quiet, yet somehow, always _there_.

If Chanyeol focused enough he could register their laughs, Jongdae’s bright, high-pitched chortle and Baekhyun’s own chuckle (lower than Jongdae, but still higher pitched for a man).

Chanyeol shifted in the bunk, pulling the blanket up so it covered more of his chest and rolled over so he was on his side, facing Baekhyun’s desk.

He and Baekhyun had gone to Suho a little less than a year ago when they’d begun to get _involved_ with each other. It had started fairly low-key, the two had always been natural flirts, but after one fateful night in an inn the pair had officially—finally—gotten together, _quite loudly_ , as D.O had complained. Suho had then forced some of the lower deckhands to completely clean out one of the old storerooms and make it over, giving Baekhyun and Chanyeol a shared bunk. There was one bed, situated back in the corner and built just a bit bigger than the crew’s usual single beds, two work desks (one for the quartermaster and one for the first mate), and a small table with a couple of chairs.

They were lucky, to be working under such a generous and understanding captain as Captain Kim. As soon as the man had become captain, he’d had Chanyeol begin setting aside a large portion from each plunder for a new ship. He was able to buy an old English Navy ship, one that had been too small for the Navy's use and stripped of its paint and cannons. They had moved all of their old belongings to the new ship and, much to all the officers’ surprise, had each been given their own quarters. Suho had always preferred a small officer staff, giving them plenty of space to move around and to find alone time, should they ever need it. Not only that, but when Baekhyun and Chanyeol had come clean about their relationship, instead of calling them _disgusting_ , or _sinful_ , their captain had congratulated the couple and assured them that if anyone gave them trouble about being together, he’d deal with them personally if Chanyeol didn’t first.

The word of them being official had spread about the ship like wildfire, and only a few of the lower ranking officers and deckhands had given the two wary looks or cruel names. A couple disappeared overnight, probably falling overboard, as Baekhyun told Suho. A few more never came back after pulling in for a dock, probably getting lost at port, as Chanyeol claimed to his fellow officers. Suho killed his third mate, as he readily admitted to the crew whenever he was asked about it.

“ _We’re a family._ ” He had addressed the crew the day after. “ _Everything we’ve been through, and you all want to throw it away because two of your brothers fell in love? How shallow does that make you? If anyone else has a problem with this, don’t come back after we port next, or you’ll be the next example._ ” Three deckhands hadn’t returned, but everyone else was happy, giving the couple smiles and confidence in their relationship. Chanyeol and Baekhyun then allowed themselves the liberty to be seen together more, sitting next to each other during meals and talking casually together on deck. If one passed the other they’d tap their back or shoulder to let them know they were there, and after a few months they began showing more skinship, with Chanyeol draping himself over Baekhyun’s back or Baekhyun leaning into Chanyeol’s side. Their bedroom activities became more frequent, too, given that Suho had placed their shared room at the far end of the hallway where it was harder to hear them.

Chanyeol sighed and closed his eyes, pulling the blanket higher so it was curled over his shoulder. He closed his eyes, allowing the rocking of the ship and the faintness of Baekhyun’s laugh to officially lull him to sleep. He’d need it. If Baekhyun had the night shift tonight, then he needed to be up before dawn to relieve him and send him back down to their room to sleep.

Baekhyun began walking along the deck again, his footsteps getting louder until they came to stop just above where Chanyeol was laying. The quartermaster could practically see Baekhyun leaning over the rail, staring at the moon just like he’d been doing up until he rolled over.

_Tap. Taptaptap. Tap. Tap._

Chanyeol smiled. He knew that was Baekhyun for “ _go to bed, if you’re not already_.” He closed his eyes, falling asleep with the image of Baekhyun leaning over the rail and reading the stars with Jongdae, the widest, most carefree smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

To say Chanyeol was disoriented when he was woken up would be an understatement. He heard gunshots go off up on the deck, though, which spurred him into action, and he stumbled out of bed in a panic, nearly tripping over the blanket tangled around his legs. He pulled on a shirt and his boots, grabbing the pistol that was sitting on the edge of his desk and flinging the door open. He sprinted out into the hall and made for the stairs which would take him up to the deck. He ran into Tao on his way up, who simply shoved his way around him and continued down the stairs, making for the cannons a couple levels lower.

Chanyeol burst up on deck to see a full fight taking place, a large pirate ship having pulled up next to the _Exodus_. Chanyeol shot a sailor from the other ship in the face without batting an eye before whirling around and making his way up to the helm, where Xiumin and Baekhyun were surrounded and backed up against the railing.

Chanyeol shot a couple of unfamiliar sailors in the head while Baekhyun and Xiumin continued fighting with their swords, each holding their own against two adversaries. Chanyeol’s pistol ran out of rounds quickly, though, and he grabbed a sword from one of the dead, using it and fighting his way so he was standing back to back with Baekhyun, both of them fighting to keep the men at bay.

“Xiumin!” Baekhyun yelled, pulling his sword from the chest of a sailor, who crumpled to the ground. “Grab the maps!”

Xiumin pushed the final man he was fighting with off towards Baekhyun’s direction and sheathed his sword, quickly gathering the maps Chanyeol had just realized were still scattered over the table beside the helm.

“Where’s Jongdae?” Chanyeol asked, slicing his sword across the neck of his opponent and turning his head just enough so he could see Baekhyun out of his peripheral vision looking very disheveled and very shaken.

“I don’t know—duck!” Chanyeol dropped to his knees as Baekhyun’s sword arced cleanly over his head, burying in the neck of another sailor who had snuck up on them. “They—” Baekhyun pulled his sword back and Chanyeol stood up, moving so he and Baekhyun were now standing next to each other, their backs to the railing that overlooked the chaotic deck below “—I think they took him.” His voice trembled in anger and shock.

Chanyeol intercepted another adversary as Baekhyun lunged to the side, knocking a sailor over the railing and clashing swords with a new one.

“Who’s _they?_ ” Chanyeol grunted as he kicked his opponent in the chest, pulling his sword out and watching as he fell back into the still smooth sea below. The moon was bright, brighter than earlier now that Chanyeol was on deck, and it cast a brilliant light on the fight happening on their deck.

“Ligongo,” Baekhyun yelled, knocking the sword from a sailor’s hand and whirling him around, straight onto Chanyeol’s own waiting sword. He stabbed him in the back and pulled back out, shoving him back so he, too, fell into the sea.

“ _What?!_ ” Chanyeol roared, whirling to look at the pirate ship pulled up against the side of theirs. The _Chi bale_ stood fast, hooks and rope lines connecting the two ships. Indeed, it was Ligongo’s ship. Ligongo, who was supposed to be their ally. Ligongo, who was supposed to be their friend. Ligongo, one of the seven pirate lords who ruled over the seas with what should have been a fair, iron fist. “Are you sure?”

“You’re looking at the same ship I am, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yelled over the clashing of swords below them on the main deck, leaning against the railing for a second to catch his breath. “It has to be.”

“That doesn’t make any sense— _get down!_ ” Baekhyun dropped and rolled out of the way, toward the stairs while Chanyeol’s sword clashed with a new opponent’s, right where Baekhyun’s head had been not a second ago.

Baekhyun stood up and fought against a new sailor, who skillfully backed him up and disarmed him, pressing him against the railing. His forearm was pressed against Baekhyun’s throat whose back was bent so far over the side of the ship he feared he would fall if he relaxed in the slightest. Baekhyun’s hand fumbled around his jacket to try and get a hold of the dagger he kept sheathed there, but the man noticed and grabbed it, flinging it off into the ocean before Baekhyun could find it.

“The water will look so beautiful, tainted in your blood.” The sailor whispered with an ugly sneer. Baekhyun grabbed his jacket in his hands, holding as tightly as he could.

“If I go down, you’re going down with me.” He shot back, his voice hoarse from the pressure over his throat.

“Not happening.” Chanyeol wrapped his arm around the sailor’s throat and pulled him back, off of Baekhyun as he stabbed him in the side and tossed him overboard.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his hand coming to rest on Baekhyun’s back while the first mate struggled to catch his breath.

“Fine.” Baekhyun gasped, one hand on the railing and the other one on his throat. “I’m fine.”

Chanyeol turned and looked over the deck. It seemed at that moment Ligongo’s men had chosen to retreat, and the last of them were swinging back onto their ship as the _Exodus’_ crew began tending to their injured, letting them go.

Suho stormed up to the helm then, his eyes angry and searching before they landed on the pair standing near the side, Baekhyun still bent over and Chanyeol standing in front of him, ready to defend him should anyone else come up while Baekhyun continued trying to catch his breath.

“Baekhyun! What happened?” Their captain stormed up to the pair and knelt in front of Baekhyun, his hands finding the first mate’s shoulders. “Are you alright?”

“They took Jongdae.” Baekhyun managed, clearing his throat. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea when they pulled up, and—”

“It was Ligongo, I know.” Suho sounded so, so incredibly angry that it sent goosebumps up Chanyeol’s arms. “We’ll talk later. They’re leaving now, I’ll give orders to follow—”

“Don’t.” Baekhyun looked Suho in the eyes and grabbed his jacket. “ _They_ didn’t take Jongdae. There was another ship, they left and Ligongo’s men came aboard, I assume to distract us and let the others get away.”

“Did you see what ship it was?” Suho asked, looking back at Baekhyun who shook his head.

“I’m so, so sorry, Suho, I didn’t. I couldn’t—it all happened so fast…”

“It’s alright, Baekhyun, you did well.” Suho looked up at Chanyeol. “Take him down and get him in bed, then meet me in my office.” He looked back down at Baekhyun. “We’ll talk in the morning, Baekhyun. Sleep for now.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Baekhyun nodded at Suho who clapped him on the shoulder and stood up, walking back down to the main deck where he met with Kris and D.O to begin giving orders on cleaning up and tending to the wounded.

“Baekhyun, come on.” Chanyeol knelt down and helped Baekhyun stand up, who collapsed against Chanyeol’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I failed.” He murmured. “He’s gone, and it’s all my fault.”

“No, Baekhyun, it’s not. You didn’t know, how were you supposed to? Ligongo is supposed to be an ally, you had no idea he was going to pull something like this. Let’s get you downstairs, come on.”

Chanyeol led Baekhyun down the stairs to the deck, nodding in greeting to Kris before placing his hand at the small of Baekhyun’s back and pushing him gently in the direction of the stairs leading below deck. He ushered the first mate into their shared room and shut the door, watching as Baekhyun shakily pulled off his overcoat and waistcoat, draping them over the back of his desk chair. He pulled off his belt next, throwing it on his desk before toeing out of his boots and dumping them on the floor next to the small wardrobe. He untucked his shirt and pulled it over his head, balling it up and throwing in the corner where the rest of their absolutely filthy, practically-unwearable clothes lived until they got somewhere to wash them or get new ones.

Chanyeol picked the blanket up from where it had stayed on the floor and resettled it on the bed, tucking it in around the edges. Baekhyun walked up then, slipping in bed and Chanyeol arranged the blanket around Baekhyun’s shivering frame.

“Hey.” Chanyeol perched on the edge of the bed after bringing over the cloth and wash bucket they kept in the corner. “Let me clean you off, okay?”

Baekhyun nodded, allowing Chanyeol to wet the cloth and run it lightly over his face, clearing his forehead of sweat and his cheek of blood from a shallow cut he’d gotten at some point before the fight had broken out, before he’d realized he needed to pull his sword on people who should’ve been considered _safe_ , considered friends.

Baekhyun hissed when Chanyeol rubbed at the cut, cleaning it of the dirt and sweat that must have accumulated there during the fight. “Sorry.” He murmured, folding the cloth over and continuing to clean around Baekhyun’s neck and behind his ears, even lightly washing his arms and a bit of his chest.

When he was done, Chanyeol placed the bucket and cloth on the floor beside the bed and leaned over Baekhyun, his hand hovering over Baekhyun’s good cheek.

“It wasn’t your fault. Don’t beat yourself up for this.” He said, looking into Baekhyun’s misty eyes.

“I was the one in charge on deck.” Baekhyun sniffed, blinking rapidly. “I should’ve known, this isn’t even Ligongo’s territory, I should’ve realized that something was wrong, I should’ve…”

“No, Baekhyun, you couldn’t have known that any of this was going to happen,” Chanyeol reassured him, letting his hand rest on Baekhyun’s cheek, the first mate placing his own on top and closing his eyes. “You did _exactly_ what you were supposed to do, given the circumstances before everything blew up.”

“But…but they _took him_.” Baekhyun let out a sob, digging the heels of his hands in his eyes to stop the tears. “They took him, and they got away, and now Jongdae’s _gone_.”

“We’ll get him back,” Chanyeol promised. “Hey, calm down. We’ll find him, I promise. We’ll get Jongdae back.”

Baekhyun nodded rapidly, pulling his hands away and blinking a few times to clear the last of his tears from his eyes. “Yeah. Okay, we’ll find him. And we’re going to kill Ligongo, right?”

Chanyeol chuckled breathily. “Of course we are.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun breathed, finally relaxing against the bed. Chanyeol leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Baekhyun’s lips, the smaller reaching up to wrap a hand around the back of Chanyeol’s neck.

Chanyeol pulled away a minute later, pressing another kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead and rearranging the blanket before standing up and grabbing the bucket again, washing off his face and neck before replacing it on the far table. He walked over to his desk and pulled on his own vest and coat, securing his belt and sheathing his sword.

“I’ll be on deck if you need me.” He turned around to where Baekhyun was curled up in bed, watching his lover get dressed. “Suho wants to have a meeting.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun responded quietly from the bed, the blanket curled in his hands up under his chin so the only thing visible was his pale face in the pale moonlight. Chanyeol looked out the porthole, the first rays of sun were just starting to appear over the horizon, the barest sliver of pink clashing with the still dark sea.

“Can you find Xiumin, and make sure he’s okay, and that the maps are safe?”

Chanyeol nodded. “Get some sleep.” He reiterated. “I’ll bring you something to eat when Lay makes breakfast.” Chanyeol walked out of the room and shut the door quietly, turning and walking back up the stairs towards the deck to meet with Kris and D.O before heading to Suho’s office. It was going to be a _long morning._

 

* * *

 

“Okay, Baekhyun, just relax.” Suho leaned back in his chair with a sigh, Chanyeol leaning against the wall with his arms crossed to the captain’s right and watching his lover’s reactions carefully. Baekhyun nodded and rubbed his palms nervously on his pant legs, taking a heavy breath. “I just want you to tell me what happened. We already talked to Xiumin, and you two, plus Jongdae, were the only ones on deck when the ships pulled up.”

Baekhyun swallowed thickly before taking a deep breath. “I first noticed the _Chi bale_ approaching from the starboard side, but I recognized the ship so I didn’t think much of it. I knew that it wasn’t their usual territory, but I figured they’d been blown off course, I don’t know. They were supposed to be _allies_ , I never thought—”

“Baekhyun.”

“Right, sorry. Anyway, Ligongo and a couple others came aboard the ship and I went down to meet them, leaving Jongdae and Xiumin up at the helm. They asked if we’d noticed any mermaids or sirens. They claimed the creatures were on the move, leaving their usual spots and Ligongo wanted to track them, to keep a record of where they were to share with the Pirate Lords at the next meeting. I said no and then, I have no _fucking idea_ how I didn’t notice them, I turned around to ask Jongdae if he’d heard the crew saying anything about sirens, but at that point the other ship had come up to port and they were already swinging to the ship.”

Baekhyun blinked a few times and clasped his hands together, squeezing them tightly. “A few of them, five or six, probably, landed at the helm and I heard Jongdae yelling. I tried to run back up, but one of the guys with Ligongo grabbed me and tried shooting. I fought him and the other guy off, but by the time I turned back around Ligongo and Jongdae were gone, and Xiumin was yelling for backup, and the deck was _full_ , with our crew and theirs.”

Suho nodded. “You said Ligongo was with them, with _you_ , but then he was gone?”

“I assume he left with the other ship. It was pulling away when the fight started. Xiumin and I were the only ones at the helm who could’ve tried to chase, but then the other ship was right beside us and there were too many people that there was nothing we could do.” Baekhyun bit his lip nervously.

Chanyeol glanced at Suho who looked deep in thought before pushing off the wall and walking over to Baekhyun, standing next to him and resting his hand on the first mate’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” He murmured, glancing at Suho and then looking back at Baekhyun, who nodded.

“And you got _no_ prior warning that the ships were upon us? Who was the lookout supposed to be?” Suho asked, his hands clasped on his desk in front of him.

“Taekwang, sir. And no, sir, no prior warnings.” Baekhyun shook his head. “I have no idea where the lookout was, I was planning on going up to see what was going on after Ligongo was gone but, well, we all can see how well _that_ turned out.”

Suho rolled his eyes. “You’d think these kids could sit up in the nest for a few hours and keep their damn eyes open.” He focused back on Baekhyun. “You did the right thing in the situation with Ligongo, welcoming him aboard and humoring him. You followed the code well, something I would have done had it been me in your shoes. _He’s_ the one who broke the code by attacking us, by using two ships, by taking _our_ navigator, a member of _our_ crew.”

Suho leaned back in his seat and sighed. “I’ll need to call a meeting with the rest of the council.” He ran a hand over his face. “I don’t think this has ever been done before, I don’t think that any one Pirate Lord has ever broken the official code. I don’t know what to do.” He groaned. Suho sat back up and took a breath. “I’ll keep you updated. For now, I’ll work to come up with a plan for finding Jongdae. You’re both dismissed.” He eyed Baekhyun. “Have you eaten? You need to eat something.” He looked at Chanyeol. “Make sure he eats something.”

“Yes, sir.” The quartermaster and the first mate bowed out of respect before walking out of the office and back to the deck, where the younger, lower ranked deckhands were still busy cleaning up the evidence from the fight that morning.

A makeshift funeral had been held once it was light out for the members of their crew who had died, someone had read a passage from the Bible, someone else had read a poem, and then the men had been pushed off into the ocean. Ligongo’s men hadn’t been given the same luxury, they’d simply been tossed overboard without any sort of ceremony, a few of the men even jeered. D.O had suggested keeping a few of the bodies to cook, to get some real meat. Lay had smacked him over the head. “You’re vile.” he’d hissed.

“Tell me you didn’t think about it, really!” D.O had called after the cook, who stayed suspiciously silent.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, shielding his eyes as the pair reappeared on the deck.

“Are you still doing alright?” Chanyeol asked, looking down. He was thankful he at least had a hat to cover his eyes from the sun.

“I’m not a child, Chanyeol. I said I’m fine. And I _am_ fine. I promise. Now, stop worrying about me.” He elbowed Chanyeol in the side. “Follow the captain’s orders and come with me to the kitchen, I’m hungry.”

Chanyeol scoffed, placing his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and walking him towards the steps near the bow of the ship that led directly to the kitchen. They passed the deckhands working hard to scrub the deck and rid it of the blood that had been spilled that was rapidly drying in the harsh sunlight.

“Hey, Baek.”

“Hm?”

“Who did you say was the lookout on duty last night?”

“Taekwang, I think.” Baekhyun furrowed his brows and looked up at Chanyeol. “Why?”

“Because I found him.” Baekhyun whirled around and, sure enough, Taekwang was one of the hands cleaning the deck under Kris and D.O’s supervision.

“Taekwang!” Baekhyun barked, his persona changing instantly. He shrugged Chanyeol’s arm off his shoulders and stalked over to where the lookout glanced up, terrified, before standing up and making a run for it.

“Hey, no! You _do not_ run when your first mate calls your name.” Kris caught him, turning him around and making him stand still as the fuming first mate approached him.

“What _exactly_ were you doing last night when you were supposed to be, I don’t know, _looking out?_ ” Baekhyun hissed, grabbing the boy’s shirt and pulling him down so they were face to face. Chanyeol walked up behind him, crossing his arms and watching the lookout stammer for an excuse. “Don’t give me some bullshit excuse, you got a lot of people _killed_ last night, kid. What the _hell_ were you doing?!”

“I-I was drinking, sir.”

“ _Drinking?_ ” Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed.

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“Oh my god.” Baekhyun shoved Taekwang backward, and he stumbled, falling and landing on his butt and looking up at the first mate in fear. “Oh my _god_.”

He started laughing like the idea was just so ridiculous that he couldn’t take it. “You were _drinking?_ Are you fucking _kidding me?!_ I applaud your ability to tell the truth, because that is so fucking hard to fathom that it’s actually funny. I can’t believe you.”

Baekhyun shook his head, his face going dark again. “You mean to tell me that people died, just because you didn’t get enough rum at dinner last night?”

“No, sir.”

“No? Then pray tell me, Taekwang.” Baekhyun glared at the cowering lookout. “Why were you drinking? Why did you take a bottle of rum up to the crow’s nest and drink when you were supposed to be on duty?”

“I—the last time we went to port, I, uh, found out my girl left me. She got tired of waiting for me, you see, and got with another guy. One who doesn’t sail. I was upset, sir, and at dinner last night everyone was talking about their girls waiting for them and, well, you know how it is, sir.”

“I don’t, actually.” Baekhyun spat. “Please, explain ‘how it is.’”

“Well, uh, I was upset and jealous. And so I just wanted to, you know, forget. So I took the bottles and was most of the way through one when my bunkmate reminded me that I had lookout duty, so I just took the other one with me.” He took a sharp breath. “Nothing usually happens! I didn’t think it would be a problem.” He tried defending himself.

“So, let me get this straight.” Baekhyun closed his eyes and listed the events on his fingers. “Your girlfriend broke up with you. The other guys were talking about their girlfriends. You got sad, because you’re not mature enough to handle a fucking break up. And you then decided through all of this,” he held his three fingers together and looked back at the boy, “that it was reason enough to push aside your duty to this crew, to your brothers, who were counting on you to look out for any trouble and drink on duty, missing the second ship that came upon us while the three of us were distracted and therefore, contributing to everything that transpired last night?”

“I—”

“Don’t bullshit me, kid.”

“Yes, sir.” Taekwang lowered his head in shame.

Baekhyun turned around and met Chanyeol’s eyes, ignoring the fearful looks he was getting from the rest of the deckhands cleaning.

“Get back to work!” Kris barked, and D.O swatted a few of the kids over the head to grab their attention back.

“Don’t mind what isn’t your business.” He snapped, pointing back to the deck.

“He’s all yours,” Baekhyun stated, letting out a tense breath and taking a step to the side so Chanyeol could approach the shaking lookout.

“You are _not_ to perform lookout duties until you prove your worth and your loyalties to this crew once again,” Chanyeol spoke lowly. “You are hereby demoted to swab until reinstated by myself, Captain Kim, or the First Mate. Am I clear?”

“Y-yes, sir.” The boy nodded, not looking up.

“Let’s try this again.” Chanyeol knelt down and grabbed Taekwang’s chin, forcing him to look Chanyeol in the eyes. “Am I clear?” He growled.

“Crystal clear, sir,” Taekwang said shakily. Chanyeol nodded, satisfied, and stood up.

“I don’t do this much anymore,” Chanyeol stole a glance at Baekhyun, “but this was a serious problem. You got a lot of good people killed because you wanted to sneak in some extra rum, which you also stole from the kitchen. Lay reported it to me. You’ll be getting ten lashes this afternoon.” Chanyeol signaled Kris, who grabbed the kid and held him, keeping him from bolting. “Take him to the brig.”

Kris nodded and walked the lookout downstairs to the brig to hold him until his punishment.

Baekhyun took a deep breath as he watched Taekwang get led down the stairs. The kid was trembling, Baekhyun found himself wondering if he would trip on his way down. He decided he didn’t really care, then, because if he did he deserved it.

“Fucking _kids_.” Chanyeol spat, shaking his head and crossing his arms. “They get worse each day, the whole lot of them.” He turned and looked to where D.O was yelling at a kid again about focusing.

“If you don’t do it, who will? Certainly not me.” He yelled. “Shall we go and get the captain, then? How about the quartermaster? The first mate? They’re both right there, why don’t you ask them to come and do your job for you, _deckhand?_ ” D.O was at his wit's end. After last night, they all were. The kid returned to scrubbing the deck with renewed vigor, and D.O met the pair’s eyes, rolling his as he turned to keep the deckhands on track.

“Let’s go downstairs.” Baekhyun rested his hand against Chanyeol’s upper arm, his eyes still on the deck. “I’m still hungry.”

Chanyeol scoffed, returning his attention to Baekhyun. “You’re worried about eating right now?”

“If not now, then when?” Baekhyun countered. “Come on, quartermaster. We need to get you something else before this afternoon.”


	2. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning this chapter has smut in it (it's probably pathetic don't expect too much from me)

The _Exodus_ was one of the mightiest ships on the Seven Seas, its captain fair and its crew loyal. She called attention at any port she appeared in, which would lead to rumors and whispers being spread around the area, the townspeople giving the crew wary yet envious looks.

As the _Exodus_ pulled up to the dock, a few deckhands swinging down to secure the ship and help lower the gangplank, the people below all stopped and stared at the great ship in wonder. D.O stood on the railing and held tight to a rope, calling orders and pointing at ropes as they were tied off.

Baekhyun stood quietly at his side, leaning over the railing and watching the lower ranked sailors work. D.O nudged him with his foot.

“You’re quiet.”

“Are you worried about me?” Baekhyun feigned shock, placing his hand over his heart. “That’s so sweet.”

“Nevermind. You’re just as annoying as ever— _no don’t use that rope, you idiot! The other one!_ ” D.O returned his attention to the deckhands who were screwing up. Though how you could mess up tying a boat to a dock, Baekhyun had no idea.

Baekhyun looked up and over the pier, his eyes sweeping for anyone who looked like they belonged with Ligongo.

Most of the crew thought they had docked simply to restock, but Baekhyun and a few other officers knew better. Suho had planned this docking for a reason—he was meeting with Mistress Lei Fang, the eldest and most respected out of all the Pirate Lords. He wished to discuss Ligongo’s treachery and look over the council’s rules on how he could retaliate with all the ex-pirate lord had done to his crew. And if anyone knew the pirates’ code and laws best, it was Mistress Lei Fang.

“How have they still not figured out how to tie the ship off?” Chanyeol joined Baekhyun at the railing, leaning over and watching the struggling deckhands.

“Hell if I know.” D.O sighed and grabbed the end of another rope. “If you’ll excuse me.” He leaped off the ship, yelling at the incompetent deckhands once he landed about figuring out the most basic of pirate tying techniques.

“Hey.” Chanyeol leaned over and nudged Baekhyun’s shoulder with his. “You’re quiet.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes, adjusting his stance. “I’m not quiet, I’m just thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?” Chanyeol asked, his eyes searching Baekhyun’s face.

“Nothing.” The first mate said quickly.

“Baekhyun.”

“I’m not thinking about Jongdae, okay, Chanyeol? Stop bugging me about it!” He snapped, glaring up at the quartermaster. Chanyeol raised an eyebrow.

“I never said anything about Jongdae.”

Baekhyun sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” He buried his face in his hands. “I’m just so worried about him, you know? I always promised him I would keep him safe, but they took him right out from under me.”

“Baekhyun, stop beating yourself up. How many times do I have to tell you, it wasn’t your fault?” Chanyeol wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Jongdae’s not mad at you, there’s no way. You did—”

“If you say I did everything I could one more time, I will throw you headfirst onto that pier and leave you there.” Baekhyun cut in. “Stop it. If I’d done the best I could, Jongdae would still be here. I fucked up, I let my guard down, that’s that. Please let me throw myself off the ship with an anchor tied to my feet, I deserve it.”

“You don’t,” Chanyeol argued. “You beating yourself up isn’t going to help us get Jongdae back. Fine, you win. You fucked up, sure. Whatever. Now, stop being all pissed at yourself and move on. You’re not much help while you’re wallowing in your own pity.”

Baekhyun sighed. “I know. Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try and stop hating myself and help you all come up with more plans to get Jongdae back.”

“That sounded so fucking fake.”

“Just like my smile, funny how that works, isn’t it?” Baekhyun sighed again and bowed his head.

Chanyeol stayed quiet, there was no way he could argue with that. Baekhyun was right, ever since Jongdae had been taken he hadn’t been smiling as much as he usually did, keeping a straight face whenever he was in front of the crew. Sometimes his lips would quirk up just a bit, but he’d reclaim his expression quickly before it got too obvious. He wouldn’t even let himself smile when it was just him and Chanyeol in their room at night, keeping his expression scarily void of any emotion.

Chanyeol leaned over and pressed a light kiss to the side of Baekhyun’s head before pulling back and walking towards the captain’s office. He knocked on the door and heard the grunt which translated to “ _come in_.” He cast one more look back to see Baekhyun still bent over the railing before pushing into Suho’s office.

“Captain.”

“Ah, Chanyeol. Is it safe to assume we’ve made port?” Suho smiled at the quartermaster and put the cap on his inkpot.

“Yes, sir.” Chanyeol nodded his head, folding his arms behind him and standing at full attention. “Have you any specific instructions for me to relay to the crew before we disembark?”

“Nothing more than the usual. Six hours today, that should be enough time, don’t you think?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Very well, then.” Suho stretched his arms above his head and groaned. “Tell me,” he leaned his forearms on the desk, “how is Baekhyun doing?”

“Better.” Chanyeol thought for a moment. “He’s still too quiet, though, it worries me.”

“He worries me as well.” Suho nodded thoughtfully. “Our Baekhyun is the type to take everything personally, take everything to heart. He’s still feeling for the loss of Jongdae, isn’t he?”

“Yes, sir, he is.” Chanyeol sighed. “I know it’s eating him up inside, but it seems that nothing I say or do helps him understand that it wasn’t his fault. He’s hurting, Captain. And it’s hurting me, too.”

“Yes, I can see that. You both looked quite tired in our meeting this morning.” Chanyeol flushed, embarrassed that they’d been caught. It had been another sleepless night, Chanyeol had woken Baekhyun up in the middle of a nightmare and held him as he cried, cradling him to his chest and whispering loving words which did nothing to calm the frantic first mate down.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“No, I understand.” Suho stood up. “After this meeting today, we’ll work to finalize a plan to find Jongdae. That should help his conscious, once he’s actually doing something to find him, no?”

“I think that’ll work wonders, sir.” Chanyeol nodded, walking to pull open the door for Suho. The captain nodded his thanks and placed his hat on his head, adjusting his belt and he pushed out into the harsh sunlight, Chanyeol right behind him.

It still caught Chanyeol by surprise when he saw their whole crew lined up smartly on the deck. Altogether, the crew stood in two rows, taking up the whole deck from just shy of the helm all the way back to the stern. Each row was headed by Kris or D.O, the two of them pacing up and down and keeping everyone in line. Tao and Xiumin stood up front with a few of the other named officers and the higher ranked deckhands. The rest of the deckhands stood in the second row.

Baekhyun stood up in the front, one hand folded neatly behind his back and the other resting on the hilt of his sword. He paced his way back and forth in front of the first row, calling instructions, his voice carrying so everyone heard every word. And if they didn’t, they asked a friend. Baekhyun _never_ repeated himself.

“If you have any business or bets to settle do it now, there will be no in-fighting on this ship,” Baekhyun called. “Get your fill of meat while we’re out, there are to be no complaints of the lack of nutrients once we set off again.” He turned and bowed his head as the quartermaster and captain approached him. “Captain.”

“Well done, first mate. They look impeccable, as always.” Suho praised, patting Baekhyun on the shoulder and making his way up the helm.

“They’re all yours, Quartermaster.” Baekhyun took a step back for Chanyeol to give any last-minute instructions.

“You have six hours!” Chanyeol bellowed, his deep voice washing over the deck much how Baekhyun’s had moments ago. “If you are not back on this ship by the time we push off, you will be left behind. Do not be late. Get out of here.” He stepped to the side, joining Baekhyun as the pair watched the crew lumber down the gangplank, flooding onto the pier and heading towards the market.

“Are you boys ready?” Suho asked, approaching Baekhyun and Chanyeol once the last of the deckhands had meandered off the ship. “We’re to meet in half an hour, I suggest we make our way over there.”

“Yes, sir.” They both bowed their heads and followed Suho down the gangplank, losing themselves in the crowd.

Chanyeol kept his hand on the small of Baekhyun’s back, following him who was a couple steps behind Suho. Their captain was smiling and waving to the townspeople, one hand in his coat pocket while the other was raised above his head in greeting. Chanyeol and Baekhyun remained a bit more stoic.

Baekhyun reached back and found Chanyeol’s hand after they’d both been shoved rather harshly by a few younger boys running through the crowd and Chanyeol sped up for a moment so he could walk at Baekhyun’s side.

“Do you see anyone?” He bent down and murmured into Baekhyun’s ear, his own eyes raking over the crowd in search of anyone who looked familiar, like a part of Ligongo’s crew or perhaps of the other mystery crew so they could start putting the pieces of the other night together.

“No.” Baekhyun made a face. “But I’m looking.”

“Well, don’t look too hard.” Chanyeol squeezed his hand. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.”

Baekhyun snorted. “If you say so.”

The pair followed Suho into a small bakery on the corner of a street, the inside empty of people but filled with many exquisitely decorated cakes and cookies.

Chanyeol watched Baekhyun’s eyes trail over the goodies once they crossed the threshold. He chuckled and let go of Baekhyun’s hand, herding him in front of him. He wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s waist and laid his chin on the first mate’s shoulder.

“I’ll buy you something when we get done.” He whispered, him and Baekhyun having paused just inside the doorway.

“Really?” Baekhyun’s eyes lit up and he turned to look at Chanyeol as best as he could with how close their faces were.

Chanyeol hummed, pressing a light kiss to Baekhyun’s lips before standing back up and letting him go. Chanyeol smiled and leaned back against the wall as he watched Baekhyun wander around the shop, looking in all the baskets with the most relaxed look on his face Chanyeol had seen since the attack.

“Chanyeol, Baekhyun,” Suho called from his spot at the counter where he’d been talking to an old lady. “It’s time to go.”

Both men schooled their expressions to ones of harsh indifference as they followed Suho and the lady through a doorway behind the counter. She led them down the cramped hallway before pausing where a rug began.

She pointed at it, and Suho reached down to pull the corner up. A trapdoor laid beneath it, and Chanyeol knelt down to grab the loop and pull it up. Baekhyun helped him once he got it out of the ground, each of them grabbing a side and pulling back to reveal a steep staircase.

Suho looked at the woman and dug four gold pieces out of the bag hanging on his belt, pressing them into her hands with a grateful smile. The woman sniffed the coins, bit each of them, and dropped them into her own pouch, satisfied. She stood there and nodded, pointing down at the staircase. Suho shot a look to his first mate and quartermaster before heading down the stairs, grabbing the handle on the side and disappearing.

Baekhyun went next, shooting a wary look at the dark hole in the ground and Chanyeol held his hand out, helping Baekhyun find his footing on the first couple steps. Once he, too, was far enough down Chanyeol lowered himself down onto the first step.

The lady grabbed the trapdoor and lifted, surprising Chanyeol with her strength. He took a couple more steps down and helped her lower it over his head, flooding the staircase in darkness for a moment.

Chanyeol paused, giving his eyes a minute to adjust before feeling for the handle and slowly making his way down the remaining stairs. The further down he got, the easier it became to see. He could hear the other two feeling their ways down the steps as well.

It wasn’t completely dark, Chanyeol realized after a minute. There was a soft haze coming from an opening that Chanyeol could just barely make out down a hallway at the base of the staircase.

“Still with me?” Suho asked the pair, who both nodded. Chanyeol could just make out Baekhyun and Suho standing on the ground, Suho in front of him and to his left and Baekhyun right at his right. Baekhyun lightly brushed against his arm as he followed Suho down the hallway towards the opening, Chanyeol right behind him.

They turned left into the opening Chanyeol had spotted moments ago and their eyes were flooded in light. Suho picked up the torch and carried it as he continued to lead the way down the hallway and around the bend.

He paused outside of a heavy wooden door, raising his hand and knocking sharply in a strict pattern. Baekhyun and Chanyeol met each other’s eyes for just a moment before facing the door as a small slot at Chanyeol’s eye level was ripped open.

“The siren and the seagull.” Suho recited, and the door was pulled open. The three were ushered in, and the door slammed shut behind them once again.

“Mistress Lei Fang, it is a pleasure, as always.”

“Captain Kim Suho.” Lei Fang stood up from her seat at the round table and held both of her hands out, taking Suho’s and looking over his body. Lei Fang was the eldest of the pirate lords, one of only two females, and looked after each of the pirate lords as though they were her grandchildren—strict, but with an underlying love. Of course, the love was buried deep, _deep_ down and it probably took years to find it, but it was in there, somewhere.

Lei Fang huffed. “You are skinny and weak.” Suho smiled gently.

“And you are as beautiful and straight-forward as ever.” If Lei Fang ever blushed, she was doing so now. She dropped Suho’s hands and swatted the back of his head.

“I accept your backhanded compliment, and punish you for your insignificant words.” She said simply before making her way back over to her seat and waving him over to the empty chair across from her.

Suho nodded in thanks as he made his way to sit down. “I thank you for heeding my letter and agreeing to meet me on such short notice.” Baekhyun moved to stand behind him, mimicking Lei Fang’s own first mate, and Chanyeol stood back against the wall behind his captain.

“Yes, I received your letter about Ligongo.” Lei Fang spoke up. “Is it true?” She looked past Suho and glared directly into Baekhyun’s eyes, seeming to read his very soul.

Baekhyun floundered for a moment in shock at being addressed in a pirate court meeting, unofficial, but a pirate court meeting nonetheless. He nodded. “It is. His ship was the one to pull up next to ours, his men were the attackers.”

Lei Fang hissed, and her first mate hummed thoughtfully. “What reason has Ligongo in taking your navigator?”

“I assume he’s after something important,” Suho said. “Our navigator is one of the best, and his loyalty to our crew makes him that much more desirable. I’m sure Ligongo needed him to find something big, otherwise just anyone could be used.”

“Well, why did he go for _your_ boy, then?”

“Jongdae is adept at reading the stars,” Baekhyun spoke up again when Suho looked at him. “He is able to do much more than just reading maps, he makes inferences and compares coordinates, he creates our paths just as much as he reads what has been given to him. He’s not just a navigator, he’s a scholar, and he speaks seven languages fluently. If Captain Ligongo needed him so desperately, I believe that it’s safe to assume he needed something figured out, he didn’t _just_ need someone to read coordinates on a map. If you don’t mind my addressing the council members in this way, my lords.” Baekhyun bowed his head slightly.

“Your boy is smart.” Lei Fang nodded. “He has a good head on his small, dainty shoulders. I believe he is right. Ligongo must have had all the information, but his crew is filled with numbskulls who cannot put their shoes on the correct feet or button their vests properly, so he must have needed someone to do the configuring _for him_.”

“He has all the puzzle pieces, he just can’t put them together himself.” Suho agreed. “Which is where Jongdae comes in to play.”

Suho took a breath. “I fear the worst for my navigator’s safety, which is why I wanted to call this meeting with you, Mistress.” He sat up straight. “I wish to discuss with you the terms of what my crew can do to retaliate, to attack him and get our navigator back.”

Lei Fang nodded, turning her head. “Bring me the rulebook.” Her first mate scurried off, and she returned her attention to the table. “I know the rules like the back of my hand, but this has not been done in all the time I have been of the pirate lords. I want to refresh myself on the proper protocol before I give you instruction.”

“Of course.” Suho nodded politely. Baekhyun shifted his weight, and Chanyeol crossed his arms, making himself more comfortable against the wall.

The room sat in tense silence as its occupants waited for the Chinese first mate to return with the official pirate code book. Baekhyun shifted his weight again, Chanyeol stifled a yawn, even the great Lei Fang let out an impatient breath.

“Finally.” She snapped when the first mate reappeared. “Bring that here.”

The first mate bowed apologetically and laid the large rulebook in front of Lei Fang, opening the cover and then standing back as she leaned forward and began flipping pages, mumbling to herself.

“Electing a new pirate lord…no…no…dividing territories…no…is that, no…ah, _ah-ha_.” She looked up at Suho. “Pay attention, boy. I haven’t the time to repeat myself.”

The three members of the _Exodus_ ’ crew perked up, listening closely as the pirate lord began reciting the code.

“’Should any one pirate lord attack another for any reason without first approaching their fellow council members of their wishes, or without prior reason such as betrayal, refusal to provide goods, men, or aid,’ blah, blah, blah, ‘that pirate lord shall be henceforth stripped of all his titles, territories, claims, ships,’ it keeps going, but that part we know…” Lei Fang hummed as she continued scanning the pages of the book.

“ _Ah,_ here we are. Are you still listening?” She looked up and watched Suho nod an affirmative before returning her attention to the book. “’The attacked crew may retaliate by tracking and attacking the offending ex-pirate lord to regain any stolen property, ships, men, et cetra, without having to fear removal from the council, so long as there is proper cause.’” Lei Fang droned off again as she read through the rest of the page before sitting back.

“You are protected under the code should you choose to go after Ligongo and reclaim your navigator.” She nodded with finality, waving her hand and her first mate returned, gently closing the large book and lifting it up, removing it from the table.

“And Ligongo is…”

“Stripped of any and all effects. At this point, he should no longer have a ship, a crew, riches, nor any sort of title.” She sighed. “I will send a letter and alert the rest of the council members of Ligongo’s treachery, and I shall set a date for a meeting so that we may all elect a new council member to take over in Ligongo’s stead after you do what must be done.”

“Thank you, Mistress. You have been most helpful, as always.” She brushed the thanks off.

“Please, give me my thanks _after_ you have taken care of that traitor. He has ignored the most basic of the pirate code, he has made a fool of the council and all it stands for.” She leaned forward on the table, a think, wrinkly hand coming up from the folds of her many layers of dress to cover Suho’s in a comforting manner. “Write to me once you have killed him so that I may set a date for the next meeting. We shall have much to discuss.”

Suho bowed his head in thanks before lifting her hand and pressing a light kiss to the back of it. “My sincerest thanks in advance, then, Mistress Lei Fang. I hope you won’t find us rude, but it is time we take our leave so that we may begin planning our revenge.”

“Make it brutal.” Lei Fang sent them out with a wave, and the three bowed formally once Suho stood up and made their way to the door. One of the men standing on the side gave Suho a new torch, and the trio were ushered out the door, a harsh slam resounding in the empty hallway once they were out.

“That went well.” Suho was the first to speak up, his voice echoing in the hallway.

“Do you have a plan?” Chanyeol asked, his hand finding Baekhyun’s shoulder and he pulled the first mate close.

“Not a plan so much as an idea…let me work out the details, and I’ll get back to you both.” Suho decided with a nod. “Let’s head back upstairs, I’m suddenly missing the sun.”

The quartermaster and the first mate followed their captain back down the way they came, Chanyeol pushing on the trapdoor a few times to get it to give enough to push it open and allow the three to climb out. They each took a deep breath once they were out, breathing in the fresh air and the glorious scent of baked goods.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun replaced the trapdoor and the rug, smoothing it so it looked like nothing was there before following Suho down the hallway and back to the front of the shop. Suho placed two more gold pieces in the old woman’s hand and smiled. She took them with a discreet nod and bit them both again, dropping them in her pouch.

Suho turned back to Chanyeol and Baekhyun, checking his pocket watch. “We have four more hours until we need to be back on deck.” He said. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy yourselves.” He winked and whisked out of the shop, leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun flushing and avoiding each other’s eyes.

“I’m still buying something,” Chanyeol spoke up then. “Pick something out that you’d like, _my treat_.” He stressed when Baekhyun looked like he was going to argue.

He huffed. “Fine.”

Baekhyun made a round of the store again, looking at each of the little cookies and cakes the old woman had to sell. Eventually, he decided on a small iced chocolate muffin, and Chanyeol went with a blueberry roll. He paid seven bronze pieces, and then he and Baekhyun left the shop, eating their sweets as they wandered along the market street. Wherever there was a gap in buildings, they could _just_ see the _Exodus_ still at the dock in the distance, their ship dwarfing almost all others in comparison.

The couple joined hands once they finished eating, simply enjoying walking through the streets in comfortable silence, looking over each of the booths as they passed.

“I think I’d like a new coat.” Chanyeol hesitated in front of a seamstress’ shop, seeing a few coats on display through the large windows. “It’s been a while, this is my only good one now.” He looked down at his double-breasted, long grey coat. It was clean, and quite nice, with gold buttons and gold stitching around the collar, but it _was_ the only one he owned, his other nice one had been destroyed in a fight and now much too tattered to be worn except on deck. Even so, as quartermaster, he was required to have a fairly nice wardrobe, and his right now just wasn’t cutting it.

“Come on, then.” Baekhyun pulled him in the shop and shoved him in the direction of where the large coats were hanging up for sale, he himself walking to the other side of the store where the selections were more _his size_.

They both smiled when an elderly man hobbled down the aisle to greet them.

“Hello! You both look like strapping young men, did you pull in today?”

“Yes, sir,” Baekhyun responded with a smile. “We’re leaving this afternoon though, I’m afraid. How long would it take you to mend a coat to fit custom measurements?”

“How long—well, ah, I suppose it depends on how many measurements will need to be adjusted. It would be easiest for you both to pick coats fairly correct lengthwise, we can take in the waist and shoulders without as much of a problem. When are you leaving?” He approached Baekhyun and looked at the coats he was flipping through.

“Four hours,” Chanyeol called from the other side of the store.

“Ah, that’s plenty of time for you to have three coats mended, each.” The shopkeeper assured them. “Young man, have you considered maroon? I have a coat that I believe would match your complexion quite well, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“Oh, please, go ahead.” Baekhyun smiled at the man. “Three coats, you say? It seems maroon shall be one of them.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol left the shop half an hour later, their measurements taken and their coats selected, with promises to come and pick them up in three hours, which would leave them enough time to pick up their new coats and make it back to the ship before it left.

The couple then ducked into a seaside restaurant, taking up a table near the large windows overlooking the clear ocean. They ordered simple dishes, fulfilling their craving for something with fresh meat and sat together and _talked_.

It didn’t happen often where they would find things to discuss that weren’t related in any way to the crew or the ship, but somehow today they figured it out. Baekhyun told Chanyeol a story of a strange fight between his brother and his father from years ago, before he sailed. Chanyeol talked about the man his sister was to marry, his parents promising her hand to some military general just before he left. They wondered for the first time in years what their families were like now, their siblings.

“Maybe I’m an uncle now, who knows.” Chanyeol sighed. “Not that I care, not really. I just, I want to make sure that she’s alright. That she married a good man and is fulfilling her duties as a wife and as a mother and as a daughter.”

Baekhyun nodded. “My brother never wanted to get married, neither did I, for a while. Knowing my father like I do, I’m sure he found him a nice trophy wife to keep his bed warm.” He shook his head. “They live so sadly.”

“At least they live without fear of dying every other day.” Chanyeol shrugged. “Of course, I’d take my life over any of theirs’ any day.”

“Me too.” Baekhyun smiled softly, his lips turned up at the sides _just enough_ , and Chanyeol could see the love behind it. “I met you. I wasn’t forced into a marriage with some girl, I’m not stuck on land forever, I’m _happy_. I never thought I’d ever be this happy, but this is more than I’d ever dreamed. _You’re_ more than I ever dreamed, than I’d ever hoped for.”

Chanyeol reached across the table and took Baekhyun’s hand in his. “I love you, too.”

Baekhyun bit his lip bashfully, bowing his head and taking a breath. “Alright, that’s enough of that. This is too emotional for it being just after noon. I save all my crying for the middle of the night.” He chuckled. “Tell me another story.”

“Let’s see…” Chanyeol hummed. “Did I ever tell you about the time I singlehandedly nearly set our town’s apothecary on fire?”

 

* * *

 

“Baekhyun.” Suho walked up to where Baekhyun was standing at the helm, waving him off when he bowed. “I need to speak with you, would you meet me in my office in an hour?”

“Yes, sir.” Baekhyun nodded. “Is there anything else you need in that time?”

“Find Chanyeol. He’ll need to be included as well.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll meet you in an hour.”

Suho nodded and turned on his heel, walking sharply back down the steps and disappearing in his office.

Baekhyun let out a sigh. “Where the hell could that quartermaster be?” He hummed, scanning the deck.

“He could be anywhere,” Xiumin spoke up from his place at the wheel. “It’ll take you much longer than an hour to find him.”

“If I can’t, I’ll have to send a few of the deckhands to search the lower parts of the ship, I need to stay up here until Kris gets back up.”

Just then, Chanyeol appeared from the bow-most doorway, appearing on deck with a small smile as he nodded in greeting to each of the deckhands he passed.

Chanyeol’s eyes swept over the deck, over the working men before coming up to meet Baekhyun’s across the ship. Baekhyun nodded his head in what he hoped was a _come here_ gesture. Chanyeol must have understood, for he began making his way across the deck towards the stern.

He was stopped by D.O halfway through, and Baekhyun tapped his foot impatiently, watching the conversation for a few minutes before turning away. He instead made himself comfortable against the rail, looking over the waves the large ship left in her wake as she pushed forward.

“That man was right, maroon _is_ a good color for you.” Chanyeol leaned against the rail next to Baekhyun, who rolled his eyes. They’d been back at sea for two days, and Baekhyun had to admit, it was nice having new clothes. Along with the coats, they’d gotten a few new pairs of trousers and a couple new shirts each.

“Of course, you would think so.”

“You know what would make that coat look even better?”

“Don’t be crude—”

“If it was on our cabin floor.”

“I _told you_ not to be crude.” Baekhyun elbowed the quartermaster in the side as he laughed. “You’re disgusting.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night—”

“Okay, moving on!” Baekhyun interrupted him loudly, ignoring Xiumin who was laughing at the couple, _very_ _loudly_. “Suho wants us for a meeting in an hour.”

Chanyeol sobered immediately. “What for?”

“I’m not sure. Hopefully, it has something to do with Jongdae, it’s been nearly a week.” Baekhyun looked down at the sea. “If I don’t do something soon, I fear I’ll go mad.”

Chanyeol wrapped his arm around Baekhyun, his hand cupping his shoulder comfortingly. “We’ll find him, Baekhyun. We’ll get him back, I swear.”

“I know we will. I have no doubts that we will.” He sighed. “I’m just worried about Jongdae. The longer he’s not here, the worse he’ll be treated and the worse he’ll be when we get him back.”

Chanyeol stayed quiet, unsure how to respond. Baekhyun was right, of course, and Chanyeol berated himself for not thinking about it sooner. Ligongo wouldn’t kill Jongdae, not since he needed him so desperately, but that didn’t mean he would be treated well, either. He remembered how the young navigator had acted after the old captain had been killed, when Suho had just replaced him a few years ago.

Their old captain, Seungsoo, had been a cruel, _cruel_ man. Beatings were a daily thing, and almost everyone in the crew had been beaten at least once during their stay on the ship. Seungsoo had been the one who ordered the shanghai of a young Korean-French scholar, Jongdae Kim. The poor kid had been shaking, beaten and locked in the brig whenever he wasn’t in the captain’s office to give coordinates. He had been barely fed, barely even treated as human except by a few, Baekhyun being one of them. Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Lay had made sure to sneak food down to the boy every night and every morning, applying salve to any wounds and sometimes giving him a shoulder to cry on.

After almost a year, after the captain had legitimately _beaten_ his first mate to death, Suho and the others had staged a mutiny. Suho had killed the captain and the others had killed his top officers, leaving Suho and his men the run of the ship. Suho had been voted captain, and he had chosen Baekhyun as his first mate. Chanyeol had been voted quartermaster, and he and Suho agreed to give Kris and D.O the positions of boatswains.

Immediately after this took place and the officers’ positions were finalized, Baekhyun went to Suho and asked for Jongdae to be released. Suho agreed without hesitation, pulling Jongdae into his office and promising to treat him right, and that if he wanted to be taken home Suho would do so.

Jongdae, after sitting down with Baekhyun and Xiumin and listening to them explain how the ship would be run from that point forward, had asked to stay on board so long as he could be treated as one of the crew. His parents treated him similarly to how Seungsoo had, and he admitted that he much preferred the crew’s company to that of the French nobility in which he had been raised.

Suho had been ecstatic, agreeing immediately and promising he would be treated right. The young navigator had been given his own quarters and full access to Suho’s personal library. He stuck with Baekhyun and Xiumin for a while, too scared to wander about the ship without them. Eventually, though, he became comfortable enough to be more his own person, and a few months after they’d moved to the new ship, he relaxed completely.

Chanyeol could still see the bruises, the cuts on the poor navigator’s flesh from their old captain, and he understood Baekhyun’s worry then. If he was experiencing the same things again, then by the time they got him back he would probably be a completely different person.

“We need to go,” Baekhyun spoke up later, after the pair had been standing in silence for nearly the whole hour. “Best not be late, hm?”

Chanyeol pushed off the railing and nodded, walking side by side with Baekhyun down the steps to the deck and circling under the helm to where Suho’s office was situated. Baekhyun knocked twice before pushing the door open.

“Captain?”

“Yes, come in. Is Chanyeol with you?”

“Yes, sir.” Baekhyun stepped aside and let Chanyeol duck into the large office after him.

“Captain Kim.” The quartermaster greeted.

“Wonderful. Close the door, would you, quartermaster. I need to speak with you both.” Chanyeol shut the door and he and Baekhyun stood together a few feet in front of Suho’s desk.

“I have a plan.” He said then, folding his hands together on the desk. “To go after Jongdae.”

Baekhyun sucked in a breath, before nodding. “Yes, sir?”

“I have received letters from friends, there is a trail I believe we can follow that should lead us to whatever ship Ligongo is using. I believe, in order to find him as quickly as we can, it is in our best interest to split up.” He spoke slowly. “A couple men will go ashore tomorrow when we arrive at Dominica, ask around, and see if they can locate anyone or any ship related to those who attacked us last week. The rest of the crew shall stay aboard, sailing on to another port where they will do the same, searching for anyone who knows anything. The first two to be dropped off will be left behind, the rest of the crew is to stay on the ship.”

Suho looked up at the pair. “I have already made the selection at who will be left behind at a port. It shall be Baekhyun and myself. That is _not_ up for discussion.” He glared pointedly at Chanyeol, who had been about to open his mouth.

Both men were tense, staring at Suho in shock.

“Chanyeol will stay aboard and handle the crew while Baekhyun and I search on shore for news related to Ligongo. We will travel under the disguise of unsigned sailors, searching for a crew to sail with, and hopefully, buy our passage to where I think Ligongo is heading.”

“Captain,” Chanyeol spoke up then, unable to help it. “I don’t think it is the best idea to send Baekhyun, sir. Take me with you, leave Baekhyun on the ship to handle the crew.”

“No, Chanyeol.” Suho shook his head. “I have debated this for many nights. The first mate is better equipped to remain at my side while you are better suited to run the ship in my absence. That is why I approved both your roles a year ago, and I shall stand by my decision in this way.”

“Captain—”

“This is _not_ up for discussion, Quartermaster.” Suho’s voice was cold and sharp, cutting through Chanyeol’s words instantly. “You are to remain on the ship. I have weighed all the options, and you coming with me leaves the crew with no leader. It is a pointless risk; an unnecessary one I am not willing to take.”

“Captain, please,” Chanyeol begged. “If you would just listen—”

“He’s right, Chanyeol.” Chanyeol whipped around to look at Baekhyun, who spoke up for the first time during their tense meeting within the captain’s quarters. “You have to stay here.”

“Baekhyun, I can’t.” Chanyeol looked back to Suho. “Captain Kim, Baekhyun is the first mate. He is trained for a situation in which he must take over a ship in case of an emergency where we are both incapacitated, and this certainly qualifies.” Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun, who refused to look away from the corner of Junmyeon’s desk.

“Quartermaster, I have been generous with you in allowing you to speak out, but my kindness ends here.” Junmyeon shook his head. “You _will_ remain here, and Baekhyun will come ashore with me to locate Jongdae. Should you speak out of turn one more time you will be spending tonight in the brig and _not_ with Baekhyun. I advise you to keep your mouth shut, for I don’t know how long we’ll be gone and it would be a shame for you to lose some final quality time together because you chose not to respect your captain’s orders and your first mate’s wishes. Baekhyun, we leave at first light.”

“Yes, sir.” The two bowed tensely before Chanyeol followed Baekhyun out on the deck.

Baekhyun turned around once they were out in the harsh light, looking up at the angry quartermaster. “Chanyeol—”

Chanyeol held a hand up. “Don’t. I’m not happy, and I don’t want to yell at you.”

Baekhyun nodded sadly. “Come find me when you’re okay.” Resting his left hand on the hilt of his sword, Baekhyun turned on his heel and stalked up the stairs to where Xiumin was navigating.

He turned around once he was past the railing, leaning on his elbows and watching Chanyeol storm towards the bow of the ship to mimic his own position, leaning out over the edge and looking down at the water.

“Trouble in paradise?” Xiumin asked nonchalantly, glancing over to where Baekhyun was staring daggers at Chanyeol’s back.

“Something like that.” Baekhyun chewed his bottom lip. “He’s furious.”

“He’ll get over it.” Xiumin shrugged. “It’s you, he can’t stay mad at you forever.”

“After this, he just might.” Baekhyun shook his head. “Not that it’s any of your business. Stay on course.”

Xiumin smirked and bowed his head before returning his gaze to the horizon. The two remained silent for a few minutes before Xiumin spoke up again.

“The meeting you were in with Captain earlier—did it have anything to do with Jongdae?”

Baekhyun glanced over at the pilot. Xiumin looked nervous, almost like he didn’t want to know the answer but _needed_ to hear it. His eyes were scanning the horizon much faster than what was normal, and his hands had an unnecessarily tight grip on the wheel. All this was natural, of course. The pilot had been quite close with Jongdae, they’d always had to work together. Baekhyun knew Xiumin looked upon the navigator as a younger brother, and with him being the only one at the helm when Jongdae was taken, he was eager for any new information he could get.

“It was,” Baekhyun answered. He stood up straight and faced Xiumin head-on, though the latter refused to look at him. “We have a new lead. Captain will be making a speech about it at dinner tonight, I can’t disclose anything as of now.”

Xiumin nodded tensely, his eyes still trained on the horizon.

The two remained on the deck in silence until D.O came up to fetch the two for dinner.

“We haven’t run out of vegetables yet.” He spoke cheerily as he led the pair down to the mess hall. “Lay made stew, it’s quite good.”

“You’ve had some already, have you?” Baekhyun raised his eyebrow, and D.O shrugged.

“Lay likes having me taste test.”

“Right.” He exchanged a look with Xiumin, who rolled his eyes at the obvious lie.

The pair wiped their hands off with a damp cloth offered by one of the lower deckhands and joined the rest of the crew in the mess hall, taking their usual seats. Xiumin walked and took his seat next to D.O, another empty chair beside him for Lay.

Baekhyun sat down between Suho and Chanyeol, as he usually did. He cast a glance to the quartermaster when he pulled out his chair, but Chanyeol refused to look at him, choosing to listen halfheartedly to a conversation Kris and D.O were having.

Baekhyun sat still in his seat, his hands folded on the table in front of him neatly as Suho stood up, clinking his glass and addressing the crew.

“We have news on Ligongo!” He yelled, the crew tossing jeers and curses around the room at the treacherous name. Suho held up a hand to quiet down the rowdy crew, and they silenced quickly, watching their captain closely.

“I have made the decision to go to shore at the next port with my first mate, where we will follow a trail I have been given to Ligongo.” He paused, looking over at Baekhyun, who was sitting still with a blank look on his face. “The ship will be left in the hands of Quartermaster Chanyeol—” the crew began cheering at that, and Chanyeol offered them all a terse nod, his eyes flickering over to Baekhyun before returning to the crew.

Baekhyun tuned out the rest of Suho’s speech, feeling his nerves start to catch up to him.

Baekhyun began eating after he came out of his daydream, looking around in confusion before he realized that Suho had finished his speech, and that he had sat down and was now eating and conversing with one of the other officers on his other side.

Chanyeol was eating on Baekhyun’s other side as well, though the quartermaster stayed quiet, simply listening to Kris and Tao’s conversation once more and watching Baekhyun out of the corner of his eye.

He watched Baekhyun take only a few bites of stew before simply stirring the food in his bowl, lifting it in his spoon only to dump it back out.

“Baekhyun, eat.” He said eventually, looking over at Baekhyun who still seemed totally out of it, completely unaware of the quartermaster addressing him.

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol elbowed Baekhyun’s arm and he dropped his spoon in surprise, looking at Chanyeol with wide eyes. “Eat.” He nodded to Baekhyun’s mostly full bowl.

“I-I can’t, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun reached forward and grabbed his water, taking a shallow drink and replacing it on the table. “I think—it just dawned on me what we’re going to be doing.” He whispered nervously. “I can’t do it, I fear if I eat anything more I’ll throw it all back up.”

“Captain.” Chanyeol addressed Suho though his eyes were locked on Baekhyun. “Might Baekhyun and I be allowed an early night tonight?”

“Hm?” Suho turned around and nodded. “Go ahead.”

Without waiting to hear from the first mate, Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s upper arm and dragged him away from the table, out the door, and down the hallway.

“Chanyeol, what are you—let go!” Baekhyun pulled back, but he never was any match for Chanyeol in terms of strength, and so he was forced to his and Chanyeol’s bunk without so much as a word uttered from the taller.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Baekhyun hissed once Chanyeol slammed their door shut. “Why did you do that?”

“We need to talk.” Chanyeol pushed Baekhyun so his shoulders were flat against the door. “You have to tell Suho that you can’t go. Send me instead.”

“Not a chance. You heard what he said, you need to be here. And I agree, you can’t leave the crew, they’d have no one—”

“They’d have you.” Chanyeol interrupted earnestly. “You could do it.”

“No, Chanyeol. _You_ belong in charge of a ship, I belong out there stirring up trouble and getting my hands dirty, dammit!” Baekhyun tried thrashing against Chanyeol’s hold, but the taller held fast.

“No, Baekhyun, you don’t understand.”

“What don’t I understand?”

“If you’re here, you’re _safe_ ,” Chanyeol spoke quickly, desperately. “I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you period, and the idea of you being out there without me makes me sick, Baek, and I need that piece of mind that you’re protected when you’re here.”

“What, is that not allowed to go both ways? Am I not allowed to want to keep you safe, too? Chanyeol, this is perfect for me. I’ll be out there doing what I need to do to keep myself sane and find Jongdae, who was taken on _my watch_ mind you, and you’ll be here, and you’ll be safe.”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol growled, looking Baekhyun dead in the eyes for the first time all evening.

“I don’t want us to spend tonight yelling at each other. Chanyeol, please, just _kiss me_.” Baekhyun’s hands came up to grip the lapels of Chanyeol’s jacket and pull him closer, sighing in relief as the taller collapsed against him, flattening him completely against the door.

Baekhyun felt so complete whenever he was with Chanyeol. All afternoon and all through dinner, Baekhyun had just felt like something was missing, like something wasn’t right. But here, _now_ , now that he was with Chanyeol and they were kissing and Chanyeol was tugging desperately at his coat, Baekhyun felt okay again.

All of the sudden, Baekhyun’s coat and vest were on the floor, Chanyeol’s coat was on the chair, and Baekhyun’s fingers were working quickly on the final buttons on his vest. Chanyeol continued kissing him, each second stealing his breath more and more as his head got dizzier and dizzier.

Baekhyun shoved Chanyeol’s vest to the floor and untucked his shirt, running his fingers along the built torso below the loose fabric.

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun moaned as Chanyeol’s lips moved down to his neck. “ _Please._ ” He tried to push all his desperation into that one word, his hands pushing Chanyeol’s shirt up and over his head. “Please, I need you.” He needed him. He needed him to be as close as possible, physically and mentally. Fuck, Baekhyun _needed_ him.

“I know, Baek, I know.” Chanyeol pulled the first mate's shirt over his head then and lifted Baekhyun into his arms, reclaiming his lips. He walked them over to the bed and laid Baekhyun down, sitting up to find the oil they used and put it where it was more easily accessible.

“ _Chanyeol_ ,” Baekhyun whined when he sat up, his hands finding the taller’s hips to hold him in place.

“Hold on, darling, I’m here.” Baekhyun’s hands traveled up Chanyeol’s torso and wrapped around his shoulders to pull him back down.

“Let’s make the most of tonight, hm?” Chanyeol whispered lowly while he trailed his lips down Baekhyun’s neck and chest, biting at both of his nipples before dragging his tongue between each of his lover’s abs. Baekhyun’s breathing was shallow, his hands tangling in Chanyeol’s hair the further down he ventured on Baekhyun’s body.

Chanyeol worked quickly at the tie on Baekhyun’s pants, and Baekhyun raised his hips so the taller could pull them down his legs easily. Chanyeol came back up and breathed for a moment, the warm air ghosting over Baekhyun’s throbbing erection and he whimpered, his hands fisting in the blanket on the bed.

“ _Please_ ,” Baekhyun whispered, his voice shaking while Chanyeol teased him, placing little kitten licks to the head of his cock. “Chanyeol…”

Chanyeol lowered his head and Baekhyun moaned out brokenly as Chanyeol took him into his mouth, managing to cover most of Baekhyun’s cock, his hand coming up to circle the rest.

“Oh, sh-shit, Chan—” Baekhyun was gasping raggedly as Chanyeol sucked, hollowing his cheeks and flattening his tongue against the base of Baekhyun’s cock and raising his head slowly. He bobbed his head a few more times, Baekhyun’s moans getting louder and more arousing each time.

“Chanyeol, if you don’t stop I’m—oh _fuck_.” Chanyeol pursed his lips tighter as he raised up, releasing Baekhyun’s cock and finishing with a light kiss pressed to the tip.

“Baek, I’m going to work you open now, love,” Chanyeol whispered against Baekhyun’s lips while his hand felt for the oil he’d moved to the side table, taking it and pushing back so he could properly finger Baekhyun.

The smaller male nodded, pulling his legs up and open so his knees were on his shoulders, his hands holding tightly to his shins.

Chanyeol doused his fingers in the oil and set it aside, resituating between Baekhyun’s legs so he could continue kissing him while he worked his first finger in. Baekhyun gasped, tensing up instinctively at the intrusion and his grip on his legs tightened.

“Relax, love.” Chanyeol murmured into his neck, moving his finger slowly in and out of his lover. Baekhyun closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, managing to relax his muscles and Chanyeol smiled into his neck.

“Beautiful.” He whispered, kissing below his jawline as he added another finger. Baekhyun did better keeping himself relaxed that time, breathing deeply. He let go of his leg with his right hand and placed it on the back of Chanyeol’s head, and the taller pushed up to kiss him again, his fingers still thrusting into and scissoring the first mate.

Baekhyun’s breath hitched when Chanyeol added a third finger and he paused for a minute, peppering kisses to Baekhyun’s forehead, eyelids, cheeks, chin, nose, everywhere he could reach while he waited for Baekhyun to adjust.

He felt Baekhyun relax around his fingers and gently began moving them, thrusting and curving to search for that little, spongy spot hidden somewhere in Baekhyun’s hole.

“ _Shit_.” Baekhyun moaned, his back arching when Chanyeol’s fingers brushed against his prostate. Chanyeol aimed for it again, and Baekhyun writhed beneath him when he hit it head-on.

Pressing one more kiss to Baekhyun’s lips, Chanyeol sat up and felt for where he’d discarded the bottle of oil. He pushed his pants off in a hurry, grabbing the bottle and kneeling back between Baekhyun’s legs. Chanyeol popped it open and poured a generous amount of oil in his hands, spreading it and covering his own aching cock with it. Once he was slick enough, he collapsed back on top of Baekhyun and kissed him again.

He circled his fingers around Baekhyun’s gaping hole and he whined, trying to grind his hips down on Chanyeol’s fingers. Baekhyun released his other leg then, his legs falling to the side and leaving him as open as he could be. He placed his hands on either side of Chanyeol’s face, kissing him desperately when his lover finally pushed himself in.

Baekhyun moved his hands down and dug his nails into Chanyeol’s back, the quartermaster hissing sharply at the sting.

“Move, please, _move_ ,” Baekhyun whispered against Chanyeol’s lips, and Chanyeol complied, rocking his hips slowly at first, giving his lover a few more thrusts to adjust before picking up the pace and hammering Baekhyun into the mattress.

“Oh god.” Baekhyun moaned, Chanyeol biting and sucking at the juncture between his shoulder and neck. “Oh my _god, yes_.”

“Yeah, baby? Like that?” Chanyeol pushed up on his arms and Baekhyun’s hands slid down around the back of Chanyeol’s waist, pulling him in deeper with each thrust.

“Oh god, just like that, Chanyeol keep going—” Baekhyun threw his head back against the bed and screwed his eyes shut, taken over completely by the pleasure of having Chanyeol over him, having Chanyeol _inside_ him, having Chanyeol really _loving him_ for the final time for a few weeks.

“ _There!_ ” Baekhyun shrieked when Chanyeol managed to hit his prostate, his legs spazzing and his back arching almost painfully high. Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun’s legs from where they’d extended and folded them back down to his chest, holding them there as he continued thrusting.

Baekhyun was trembling beneath him, and Chanyeol pushed his legs out to the side and held them on the bed, laying down and getting as close as physically possible with each thrust. Baekhyun’s hands slid further down still and clutched at Chanyeol’s ass, continuing to pull him in faster and deeper each time he entered the small male.

“Oh my god, Chanyeol, oh my god I love you so much.” He managed to gasp out between moans and ragged breaths, his hands now sliding up and down Chanyeol’s back, his nails marking him and Chanyeol loved it.

_Something to last while he’s gone_ , he thought, tightening his grip on Baekhyun’s hips with the intention of doing the same in return.

“I…I love you too,” Chanyeol grunted between his own heavy breaths, and he lowered himself so he was lying fully on top of Baekhyun, their sweaty bodies pulsing against each other.

Baekhyun’s cock was hitting his stomach with each thrust, and it was just enough stimulation that he started feeling a telltale warmth pooling in his stomach.

“Chan-Chanyeol.” Baekhyun had tears welling in his eyes, it was all _too much_. Chanyeol, the desperation, the emotion, the love, the pain, the pleasure.

“It’s okay, darling, I know.” Chanyeol pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Let it go, Baek.”

A few thrusts later Baekhyun came with a cry, his voice breaking and his grip on Chanyeol’s shoulders tightening painfully.

“Sh- _shit_.” Chanyeol stuttered, his own hips faltering at the intensity of Baekhyun’s orgasm, and it took one more deep thrust for him to be releasing inside of Baekhyun with a deep groan. He pulled out and collapsed on top of his lover, his lips pressing lightly to Baekhyun’s collarbones, then again to his neck, and finally his lips.

Baekhyun whimpered and wrapped his hands around the back of Chanyeol’s neck, holding him as close as he could as they kissed. Chanyeol sighed, his hand running through Baekhyun’s sweaty hair soothingly as they both came down from their highs.

Baekhyun couldn’t stop the tears now that they’d started, and his breathing got ragged, and soon enough he was gasping, holding Chanyeol as tightly as he could as he cried. Chanyeol shushed him and whispered sweet nothings in his ear, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm him down.

A few minutes later Baekhyun regained control of his breathing, and while he was replenishing his oxygen Chanyeol pushed up, grabbing the water bucket and cloth off the far table and bringing it back to wipe Baekhyun and himself down.

Baekhyun curled around Chanyeol the instant he climbed back in the bed, after grabbing a fresh blanket to use as their other one had been dirtied. Chanyeol laid near the wall just under the porthole and Baekhyun wrapped himself under his arm and around his waist, intertwining their legs and resting his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“I love you, you know that, right?” Baekhyun asked, his throat still thick after his crying session minutes before.

Chanyeol nodded, his hand running smoothly along Baekhyun’s spine. “I know. I’m just worried about you, I can’t help it. I want to make sure you stay safe, and I can’t do that if you’re not here with me.”

“Chanyeol—”

“Promise me you’ll be safe, darling, for me. I need to hear it, you have to promise me.” Chanyeol interrupted, his hand pausing to press Baekhyun tighter against his chest.

“I promise,” Baekhyun whispered sincerely, his own hand coming up to begin drawing shapes and writing words on Chanyeol’s bare chest. _Love. Promise. Chanyeol. Love. Rebellion. Promise. Kindness. Chanyeol. Heart. Love._

Chanyeol pressed a kiss where he could to the top of Baekhyun’s head, staying silent as Baekhyun’s breathing leveled out and he drifted off to sleep. Chanyeol’s brain worked double time as he began planning how he would talk to the crew in the morning and get their votes to veto the captain’s decision. He knew that as long as he had eight more crewmembers behind him, the captain would have to listen to him and allow Baekhyun to stay behind.

Little did Chanyeol know that Baekhyun knew him well, perhaps too well, and he already had a plan to keep Chanyeol on the ship, and to keep him safe.

 

* * *

 

Given their line of work, waking up alone in bed when you knew someone had occupied that now empty space was terrifying. It wasn’t uncommon for pirates to be stolen right out of their beds in the middle of the night, especially with how untrustworthy it seemed the _Exodus’_ lookouts were.

Chanyeol stirred and rolled over, his hand shooting out to the side to feel for Baekhyun but coming back cold and empty. Chanyeol bolted up, eyes searching the room tensely while he began pushing to the side of the bed. He relaxed, though, when he could _just_ make out Baekhyun’s silhouette by the wardrobe, where his lover was securing his belt around his waist. He caught Chanyeol’s eye and smiled softly, walking towards the bed.

Chanyeol stood up and held his arms open, and Baekhyun walked right into them, wrapping his own arms around Chanyeol’s waist and squeezing.

Baekhyun smiled softly, his eyes raking over Chanyeol’s face as though he was memorizing every last detail. “I love you.” He whispered eventually, hiding his face in the crook of the taller’s neck to keep him from spotting the guilt in Baekhyun’s eyes.

Chanyeol bent to press a light kiss to the top of Baekhyun’s head before he pushed away and grabbed a clean shirt and new pants from the small wardrobe in the corner.

The two continued dressing in silence, tensions still high despite the night before, as Baekhyun pulled on his boots and Chanyeol tied his shirt.

“I hope you realize that I’m not letting you go, right?” Chanyeol asked, meeting Baekhyun’s eyes through the mirror next to his desk. Baekhyun nodded, his eyes trained on Chanyeol’s hands which were buttoning his vest.

“I know.” He said simply, and Chanyeol turned away from the mirror a moment so he could find his belt.

Baekhyun took the opportunity to grab a spare set of handcuffs out of his desk drawer and wander over to the bed in what he hoped was an innocent fashion. Chanyeol glanced up for a moment to see Baekhyun adjusting the blanket, and then he returned his attention to his belt.

“I’m going to make a stand on deck.” Chanyeol said, missing the sound of one end of the handcuffs being secured around a hook in the wall above their bed. “I just need a few other to vote with me, and Suho will have to honor my wishes. You’re going to stay here, Baek, I promise.”

Baekhyun stood up and adjusted the pillows, making it so it was hard to see the cuff laying on the bed. He paused—he felt so _guilty_. Baekhyun was about to lock Chanyeol to the bed so he couldn’t stop him from leaving—he was _lying_ to him. Oh god, Chanyeol was going to kill him when they got back. He’d never speak to him again, he—

“Baek?”

“I’m going to miss you.” Baekhyun turned around and wiped at a tear that had made its way out of the corner of his eye. “ _So_ _much_.”

“I know, darling, but I can’t let you be the one to throw yourself in danger when it should very well be me.” Chanyeol took his small lover in his arms and cradled him to his chest, resting his cheek atop Baekhyun’s head as the latter gripped the back of Chanyeol’s shirt in his hands.

Baekhyun nodded, looking up at Chanyeol. “Kiss me again.” He demanded softly.

Chanyeol met his lips immediately, closing his eyes and savoring the taste of Baekhyun, the last he’d be getting for a while. He stumbled back when Baekhyun pushed him towards the bed.

“Baekhyun—”

“Let me have this,” Baekhyun whispered, pushing Chanyeol to lay back on the bed. He climbed on top of him, his knees on either side of Chanyeol’s hips as he hovered just out of reach of Chanyeol’s lips. “Just once more.”

Chanyeol couldn’t ever bring himself to say no to him, not with that face and especially not with the circumstances, so he settled for wrapping his hands around Baekhyun’s neck and pulling him down, pulling him _closer_. Baekhyun, trembling, deepened the kiss at the same that he pulled Chanyeol’s hands away from his head, pressing them gently into the mattress.

Chanyeol sighed and relaxed into the kiss, opening his mouth and darting his tongue into Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun welcomed the intrusion, his own tongue coming in to dance with Chanyeol’s as he gently, carefully, pulled Chanyeol’s right hand up above his head far enough to be in line with the cuff laying on the pillow.

In the span of a second, and without breaking the kiss, Baekhyun pulled his other hand away to grab the cuff, securing it tightly around Chanyeol’s wrist with a resounding _click_.

Chanyeol pulled away the instant he felt the cold metal clamp down on his wrist, looking up at Baekhyun in shock at the _betrayal_ as the first mate pulled away, still hovering over him and looking back down with tears in his eyes. His right hand raised up to grab at Chanyeol’s hand and check the cuff, making sure the quartermaster was effectively trapped to the bed.

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol pulled harshly against the cuff twice, hearing it clank against the hook and having his arm jerked to a stop both times. “Don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry. Really.” Baekhyun climbed off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe.

“Don’t you _dare_ do this,” Chanyeol growled. “Get over here.”

Baekhyun pulled one of his older coats out of the wardrobe and pulled it on, calmly adjusting the collar in the mirror and avoiding Chanyeol’s eyes glaring daggers from the bed.

“ _Baekhyun_.” Chanyeol pulled at the cuff again, the metal echoing in the otherwise quiet room. “Let me out.”

“I love you, you know.” Baekhyun sheathed his sword and glanced at the bed.

“Baekhyun, you have to let me go.” Chanyeol tried to reason with the first mate. “ _Please_ , Baek.”

“That’s the only reason I’m doing this.” Baekhyun continued, taking a few steps towards the bed and looking down at his lover sadly. “Because I love you, and I want to keep you safe.”

“Dammit, Baekhyun, release me. _Now_.” Chanyeol tried, in vain, to reach across his body and grab at Baekhyun, who simply stood there, just out of reach. He then reached up and tried slipping his fingers under the cuff, searching for a release switch, _anything_ that could get him out.

Baekhyun’s eyes shifted their focus so they were looking out the window, where he could see the bright lights of what must have been the pier, meaning that they’d docked and he needed to head up to the deck.

“I have to go.” Baekhyun looked down at Chanyeol, who met his eyes and tried pleading once again.

“Baekhyun—”

“This is important, Captain Kim will kill me if I’m late. You all need to get going.”

“Baekhyun, fucking listen to me! You _have_ to let me go.” Chanyeol pulled on the cuff again and felt the metal dig painfully into the skin around his wrist, but he didn’t let up, trying to force his hand out of the cuff.

“As I understand it, you all will be pulling into another port tomorrow morning. Try not to kill anyone while I’m away, I know how bad your temper can get.” Baekhyun smiled softly, walking back towards the door.

“Baekhyun, _please_ ,” Chanyeol begged once more, his eyes locked on the small figure next to the door. It was a bit lighter out now, the sun was rising, and he could see the buttons on his jacket glistening, the ruffles of his shirt poking out under his jacket sleeve, the single ring he wore on his left ring finger glimmering whenever he shifted his hand, and the tears in his eyes shining whenever the light caught them.

Baekhyun pulled his ring off and set it on the corner of his desk. “You’ll find us, Chanyeol, I’m sure of it. I’ll see you soon.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and set it on his desk with the ring, much too far for Chanyeol to even have a hope of reaching it.

With one more smile and a final nod, Baekhyun was out the door, shutting it gently behind him.

“Baekhyun, no, get back here!” Chanyeol bellowed, pulling at the chain as he watched the door shut, and he heard Baekhyun’s footsteps retreat as he walked down the hallway. “Baekhyun! _Baekhyun!_ _"_

Chanyeol kept yelling, hoping that someone, _anyone_ would hear him and come to his rescue. He’d forgive a lowly deckhand of breaking the rules (they were unable to enter any of the commanding officers’ rooms without being escorted by the officer himself) if he could just get out of there. He needed to get out, he needed to stop Baekhyun from leaving.

He quieted down eventually, instead listening to what he knew was Suho’s voice as he addressed the crew for the final time as Captain until he got back. Chanyeol closed his eyes and focused, and he heard Baekhyun and Suho’s footsteps walking across the deck, getting louder as they walked directly over where Chanyeol was lying.

Baekhyun stopped. _Tap. Taptap. Tap. Taptap._ And then he was gone.

Chanyeol managed to set himself up against the wall, his cuffed hand sitting on the bed next to him, and he looked out the porthole. He turned his head and watched the captain and the first mate walk down the gangplank just barely in view, though they disappeared on the already crowded dock the second the stepped off the plank.

Chanyeol’s eyes searched the dock for any sign of the small first mate, but he was simply gone. Just like that.

Chanyeol scowled, still staring at the pier as the deckhands pulled in the gangplank and the ship pulled away from the dock, turning to face out into the open ocean.

He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a figure that looked uncannily like Baekhyun standing right at the waterline just outside the market, watching the ship pull out of the harbor. He watched the figure raise his right hand to his forehead, and then stretch it out in front of him in the direction of the _Exodus_ , sending her and her crew off with a two-fingered salute. Baekhyun’s trademark.

Chanyeol kept his eyes on the figure as long as he could, until the ship had turned around and he was no longer visible.

Chanyeol loved sailing. Really, he knew it was his calling. He never was able to see himself taking over his parents’ inn like they’d always wanted him too, and he got no greater joy than seeing the ocean stretch on for as far as he could see, even farther.

Chanyeol saw nothing but open ocean now, and yet for some reason, his heart dropped knowing what they’d left behind.

_I’m going to find him if it’s the last fucking thing I do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo first full chapter! What did you guys think?
> 
> Just for clarification, here are all the members (so far *dun dun duuuuun*) and their positions on the ship:
> 
> Suho-Captain  
> Baekhyun-First Mate  
> Chanyeol-Quartermaster  
> Kris and D.O-Boatswains  
> Lay-Healer/Cook  
> Tao-Gunner
> 
> I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in around a week. Leave kudos or a comment if you think it's worthy :-)


	3. The Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi first of all, I'm so sorry this is like 2 weeks late. My dog had to go through emergency surgery (we think he's going to be okay now) but it was a bit scary, and it totally threw me off my writing schedule.
> 
> p.s. peep the new tags in the bio!!!
> 
> Anyway, as usual, leave kudos or a comment if you like it (or to yell at me for posting this so late asdfjklfatv i'm so sorry)

“Jongdae?” Baekhyun whispered, feeling his way along the wall and bars of the empty cells. “ _Jongdae?_ ” It was dark, almost scarily so, but if he’d grabbed a lantern someone could see the shadows and know that he was down there, and he couldn’t risk Jongdae’s life like that.

Baekhyun turned and glanced over his shoulder when the ship creaked, worried that he’d been caught. If he was caught, the jig was up. They’d kill them—him, Jongdae, _and_ Suho. He fought down a shudder as he thought of what Ligongo would do if he found out who Baekhyun and Suho really were—Ligongo always was one of the most brutal, he and Seungsoo had gotten along famously.

“Come on,” Baekhyun muttered, following the slim hallway of the brig around a corner. “Please be here.” He’d heard talk among the crew about some “smart, foreign kid” being kept down in the brig, and Suho had promised to cover for him if Baekhyun would go take a look after most of the crew had gone to bed.

Baekhyun squinted through the darkness as he glanced into each of the cells he passed, hoping to find their navigator. The small bundle of food he’d snatched from the kitchen on his way down bounced against his leg with each step. He had no idea the kind of condition Jongdae would be in when he found him, he wanted to be ready.

Baekhyun hadn’t been paying much attention to the hallway, more distracted with searching through each cell so he ran right into the wall at the end. He bounced back because of the force with which he’d run into the wall, and his hands felt uselessly along the rough wood to find a ridge, something that would show that it was a door and not just a wall.

The wall was, in fact, just a wall, and Baekhyun sighed.

Then he heard a whimper.

“Jongdae?” Baekhyun whispered, turning his head to the right and feeling for the bars of the cage.

“Baekhyun?” The _Exodus’_ first mate could _just_ make out his friend’s shivering form, curled up on the floor in the corner. “Is that you?”

“ _Jongdae_.” Baekhyun breathed out, sinking to his knees outside the cell, his hands still holding firmly to the bars. “It’s me, you’re okay. I’m here.”

“Oh my god, Baekhyun.” Jongdae crawled over to where Baekhyun knelt, sticking to the far wall and leaning against it when he finally got to the bars.

“What…what did they _do_ to you?” Baekhyun’s hand reached forward and cupped Jongdae’s cheek gently, but the navigator still flinched at the touch. “Oh, Jongdae.”

“You’re here, you’re really here.” Jongdae couldn’t help the tears that built up and leaked out of his eyes, leaning desperately into Baekhyun’s hand.

“I am. You—you’re freezing, Jongdae.” Baekhyun looked over the young navigator now that he was closer, taking his physical state. He was trembling horribly, and he was still in the same clothes from the night he was taken, though they were filthy and torn. Baekhyun shifted his hand up to Jongdae's forehead and felt for his temperature, "You're burning up." He returned his hand back down to his cheek and stroked his thumb along his prominent cheekbones. “Didn’t they give you a blanket or something?”

Jongdae shook his head pathetically. “No, they threw me in here the second I was brought aboard and I haven’t been out since. They set up a workstation for me,” he gestured over to the other side of the cell where Baekhyun could make out a few bright shapes attracting what little light there was down on the lowest level of the ship. “I’ve been pouring over maps, and legends, and my head hurts, Baekhyun, and I’m so, _so_ scared. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t—I don’t _understand_ …”

“I’m sorry we’re so late.” Baekhyun murmured, his other hand coming through the bars to take hold of Jongdae’s skinny, trembling fingers. “But we’re here now. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe, I promise. Have you eaten?”

Jongdae shook his head. “I get food every morning. It’s not nearly enough to last me the day, though, I’m starving.”

“I figured as much.” Baekhyun released Jongdae’s cheek and skillfully unknotted the cloth bundle that had been tied around his belt. “I grabbed this from the kitchen. Eat.”

Jongdae made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a sob, snatching the bundle and placing it in his lap. Baekhyun gripped the bars again to physically restrain himself from storming up to Ligongo’s quarters and killing him at that very moment.

He didn’t, though. Jongdae needed him, he couldn’t afford to screw anything up and get caught. He couldn’t before, but he definitely couldn’t now.

“Are you the only one here?” Jongdae asked once he’d finished most of the food. Baekhyun shook his head as he slid a small water skin through the bars into Jongdae’s hand.

“Suho’s here, too. It’s just the two of us, though. Chanyeol and the others should be tailing us, and when they get here we’re going to get you out of here.” Baekhyun watched as Jongdae ate all the food and drank all the water from the skin. “I’ll bring you more tomorrow, I’m afraid I can’t risk coming back down tonight.”

“This is the most I’ve had in one sitting since I’ve been here.” Jongdae flashed him a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Baekhyun responded bitterly. “It’s my fault you’re here. You should hate me—”

“Baekhyun, I could never hate you.” Jongdae interrupted him. “I trust you, I knew you’d never let them take me on purpose. I saw them hit you, it’s not your fault. Besides, you’re here, which definitely shows that this wasn’t planned or anything, unless I’m reading the signals wrong.” At least he hadn’t lost his sardonic humor, Baekhyun saw the flash of a grin through the darkness. The additional nutrients were already strengthening Jongdae, he wasn’t shaking so much anymore.

“I’m sorry.” Baekhyun’s voice broke, and he felt through the bars for Jongdae’s hand once again. He squeezed it when he found it.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Jongdae squeezed back. He didn’t let go of Baekhyun’s hand again, even while he finished the last of his role.

Both of their heads snapped up when a sharp pair of footsteps could be heard on the level directly above them, echoing through the quiet hallway.

“You need to go,” Jongdae spoke, suddenly panicked. “If they find you here, they…they’ll…”

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun squeezed Jongdae’s hand one last time. “I promise I’ll bring you more food tomorrow.” Baekhyun used the bars to help him stand up. “Oh, here.”

Baekhyun shrugged out of his coat and balled it up, slipping it through the bars. “I have another one upstairs.” He maneuvered his hands so he was able to drape the thick fabric over Jongdae’s shoulders. “Just, hide it or sit on it or something whenever anyone comes down to check on you.”

“Thank you,” Jongdae said again, but before Baekhyun could respond those same footsteps stalked over their heads again, and Jongdae started trembling.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jongdae, I promise.” Baekhyun took a couple steps back from the bars, checking to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally bump into anything. It physically pained him to leave his friend when he was so obviously terrified, but he didn’t have a choice. If he got caught, well, they’d have much more to fear than distant footsteps.

“Baekhyun?”

“Hm?” Baekhyun looked up and was able to find Jongdae’s eyes through the darkness, shining brightly behind the bars of the cage.

“Say hi to the stars for me.”

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol had never had much patience for imbeciles, stupidity, or mistakes.

When he’d joined his first pirate crew, he’d gone a bit mad with power, with the encouragement of brutality and of killing. His skills had been honed to pure sadism under Captain Seungsoo, and then more so when he was named quartermaster.

Seungsoo had always taken a _special_ interest in Park Chanyeol. Even back when he was a young boy, tall and lanky who hadn’t yet grown into his feet and was itching for his first tasted of freedom, not yet ruined by the cruel pirate life. Captain Seungsoo kept Chanyeol close, personally teaching him the way to properly wield a sword and command a crew. He was taught to swing first, with the intent to draw blood and to not ask questions at all. Chanyeol had been seventeen when he killed his first man. Seungsoo couldn’t have been prouder.

Baekhyun had come aboard the ship when Chanyeol was eighteen, and the two had been drawn together instantly, becoming fast friends before anything else. Chanyeol taught Baekhyun much like how Seungsoo had taught him, though Baekhyun hadn’t been nearly as keen on the “kill first” tactic. Their first fight had been after a raid, when Baekhyun had hesitated to kill a man and Chanyeol had done it for him. They’d both done some learning since then, Baekhyun learned to follow his gut and kill _faster_ , while Chanyeol learned to _slow down_ , to think and balance his options. Was it really worth a man’s life?

Baekhyun had been worried about Chanyeol when Suho had been elected captain by the crew, for it seemed, experience-wise, that the position would’ve gone to Chanyeol. The newly instated quartermaster insisted that he was fine, that Suho deserved it more than him for he was more humane, an important yet often overlooked quality.

As quartermaster, he was given the duties of overseeing the division of loot, food, provisions, and punishment. There was one point where Chanyeol wouldn’t have hesitated to lash a crewmember on deck, ruling over the ship with an iron fist whenever the captain or first mate were absent. Chanyeol strived for perfection, and anything less warranted a punishment.

Baekhyun had always been much calmer, able to use his words to break people down and build them back up. He was a talker, the first mate. He always knew what to say, when to say it, and how to accent it so it did the most damage—more damage than Chanyeol could ever do with his whip or dagger.

He had mellowed out a bit when he and Baekhyun began getting _involved_ with each other. After their first night at an inn, they’d sat down and talked about how their relations would and would not affect their duties on the ship and how they treated each other, both on deck and off. One of the things Baekhyun had asked of Chanyeol was that he not be so quick to act, to calm down when mistakes were made and understand exactly why. That was around the time the two began allowing themselves to be more physical on deck.

And it was around that time that the crew really noticed just how good for Chanyeol the first mate really was.

All it took was a single look from Baekhyun, a gentle call of Chanyeol’s name, a light hand resting on his arm for his anger to dissipate, and Chanyeol would allow himself to take a step back to calm down and think, and he would no longer act out of anger.

Eventually, it got to the point that it seemed to pain Chanyeol when he _did_ have to distribute harsh punishments, like Taekwang’s lashes. The quartermaster hadn’t whipped someone in what felt like years (though it couldn’t have been more than one), but because of the gravity of the situation, he’d had to make an example for the rest of the crew. Taekwang’s cries of pain rang through his ears. His hands hadn’t stopped shaking the whole night, the feeling of the whip snapping and slicing through the flesh made it impossible to hold anything else. Baekhyun had taken him down to bed and tucked him in and fed him, calming him and reminding him that it was his job, that the kid deserved it, that it was okay.

Chanyeol had been so scared that he was going to lose himself again, revert back to the man he’d been under Seungsoo, but Baekhyun had held him and promised him that he would never go back, that he was different now, and that the crew trusted him and his judgment.

But Baekhyun was gone. And the crew was wary.

No one had been able to look Chanyeol in the eye since the quartermaster had stormed up on the deck, Kris having freed him from the confines of his bed once they were far enough away from the port that Chanyeol couldn’t give any orders to follow the first mate and captain, or to turn the ship around.

They were en route to a port in the Dominican Republic—a fairly large port where many pirates pulled in for a drink (and a lay, if that was what they needed while on land). Captain Suho figured that there would be a high chance of _someone_ having heard _something_ about Ligongo, and thus that was where they’d been instructed to head after dropping off him and Baekhyun.

 _Baekhyun_.

To say Chanyeol was furious would be an understatement.

Baekhyun had _tricked_ him. He’d tied him to the fucking bed and left him completely at the mercy of someone coming down to release him. His dignity was _shot_.

Kris had come down, the only one brave enough to face the quartermaster and unlock him, releasing him back up onto the deck. Anyone who got within five feet of Chanyeol got told off with no hesitation.

He was _radiating_ with anger.

The whole ship quivered in fear. It almost felt like Seungsoo was back.

It had taken D.O slapping Chanyeol after dinner to bring him back, to remind him that he wasn’t the same guy he was seven years ago when their old captain ruled by fear.

 _“How do you think Baekhyun would feel if he saw you now?” D.O hissed, grabbing Chanyeol by his hair and forcing him to sit in his desk chair, having followed him down to his room after dinner. “How sad do you think he would be to see you like this again? Don’t do that to him. You’re_ not _Seungsoo. Get over yourself.”_

Chanyeol had allowed himself to cry that night, the hurt and betrayal and _emptiness_ in his chest taking over. He felt better once he got that out, his head was clearer. He wasn’t as angry.

He was still mad, though.

Since he’d arrived up on the deck the next morning, Chanyeol had physically growled at a deckhand that had gotten too close and stalked up to the helm, standing tensely next to Xiumin in what was traditionally Baekhyun’s spot in what was a lame attempt at feeling closer to his missing lover.

“We’re two hours out from Santo Domingo.” Xiumin alerted Chanyeol, one eye on the sea and the other on the quartermaster.

“Good.” Chanyeol nodded once, his eyes sweeping over the deck.

D.O met them from where he had been giving cleaning orders to a few new deckhands and he raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Chanyeol nodded firmly and D.O visibly relaxed, following the deckhands through a doorway at the bow of the ship.

_No hard feelings._

Chanyeol rubbed his right hand over his sternum while his left rested habitually on the hilt of his sword. He felt the ridges of Baekhyun’s ring under his shirt, where he’d strung it on a chain next to his to keep them close—keep _him_ close. They’d bought the rings on a whim, well, they hadn’t really _bought_ them. A poor old woman had been selling some of her things for some extra money, and upon noticing the couple walking through the bustling marketplace hand-in-hand, had insisted that they take the rings.

_“Free of charge.” She pressed the rings into Baekhyun’s hand and curled his fingers around them, patting his fist. “Love like yours, like mine once was, is priceless.”_

_“What—free? We couldn’t…” Baekhyun had turned to look up at Chanyeol, who had already been digging in the pouch on his belt for a few gold coins. The quartermaster joined the two on the ground and knelt in front of the old woman, pressing the coins into her hand and closing it the same way she had done to Baekhyun with the rings._

_“No, we won’t.” Chanyeol smiled gently, and the old woman reached out with her shaky hand and patted his cheek. He was too busy looking at the woman to notice how fondly Baekhyun was looking at him, the rings pressed to his chest beneath both his hands._

_“Such nice boys.” She cooed. “There is so much love in your heart, young man. Don’t let him go.” She nodded towards Baekhyun._

_“I’m not planning on it.”_

“You have three hours!” Chanyeol addressed the crew once they’d pulled in to the harbor and tied the ship off. “Don’t be late. You know the drill—just go _._ ”

The crew practically sprinted off the ship, not wanting to be aboard with an angry quartermaster any longer than necessary.

“You need a drink.” D.O declared, walking up to the quartermaster. “I know a place.”

“You always know a place.” Chanyeol snorted as D.O led him down the gangplank.

D.O, former alcoholic and son of tavern owners, simply nodded. “I have a lot of friends.”

“And how many of them have you fucked?”

“Hush.” D.O swatted the back of Chanyeol’s head, who pouted at him. The boatswain blinked in confusion for a moment before scowling. “How does he deal with you.” He grumbled, pushing Chanyeol’s shoulder to the right at a fork in the main market road.

“He did run off.” Chanyeol pointed out.

“Don’t make yourself sound more pathetic than you are.” D.O shook his head, falling in step beside Chanyeol as the two pirates made their way down the street.

“I should have you walk the plank for saying that.” Chanyeol jostled D.O with his shoulder to let him know that he was, in fact, kidding.

“Is that Park Chanyeol attempting to make a joke? Where?” D.O shielded his eyes with his hand and began looking around exaggeratedly.

“Is that Do Kyungsoo playing off a _wonderful_ joke make by the one and only Park Chanyeol?” The quartermaster shot back.

“That was a joke, but this isn’t. Say my name again, and I’ll scalp you and sell your hair to the local weavers for pocket change.” D.O threatened, smiling.

Chanyeol stilled, the hair on his arms standing on edge, and nodded. “I’m sorry?”

“Good. Oh, it’s this way.” D.O peeled off again and stuck to the right side of the road, and Chanyeol trailed after him, keeping a small distance between their arms as he was still wary of D.O’s threat and didn’t want to rub the boatswain the wrong way.

“Park Chanyeol?” A man about Chanyeol’s height grabbed his elbow and tugged him to a stop. “Quartermaster Chanyeol?”

“What’s it to you?” Chanyeol asked gruffly. D.O drew his sword and pointed it at the strange man.

“Let go of him if you value your head.”

“No, it-it’s me! Minho, Choi Minho, of the Sherlock? Chanyeol?” Chanyeol narrowed his eyes and took in the man’ appearance.

He was filthy, his hair was an absolute mess, and much too long. His clothes were torn and ratty, nothing but thin pants, a loose shirt, and a vest, the poor man didn’t even have shoes on his feet, which were bloody and bruised. Chanyeol’s eyes returned to the man’s face and he took in the gaunt cheeks once must have been rather full. The man’s eyes had bags under them as though he hadn’t slept properly in weeks, but there was something about his eyes…

“Minho?” Chanyeol tested out the name, trying to match the picture in his head with the man standing in front of him. He hadn’t heard from Minho in nearly a year and hadn’t seen him for five. Recognition flashed through the quartermaster’s mind, and he ignored the grimy state of the man and pulled him in for a hug. “What the fuck happened to you?”

“I—it’s a long story.” Minho rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“We have time.” Chanyeol waved for D.O to sheath his sword. “We’re just heading for a drink; would you join us?” He cast a glance over at D.O, who nodded.

“Oh, I-I haven’t any money.” Minho chuckled humorlessly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“My treat.” Chanyeol insisted. “Consider it payment for your story, if you must. Join us?”

“Alright then.” Minho nodded, and he and Chanyeol followed D.O into the tavern and sat down as D.O heartily greeted a young waitress with a hug. The girl smiled and blushed, and promised to bring over three pints of ale for him and his friends.

“And some bread, too.” D.O requested, thinking of how thin Minho looked. “Bread and cheese.”

“I’ll have it right out.” She giggled, and D.O couldn’t help but allow his eyes to linger on the belt of her skirt which cinched her waist in much more than necessary. She was _quite_ easy on the eyes. He sighed—if only they were in port for longer.

“Where’s Baekhyun?” Minho asked once they were settled at a table near the door, but still fairly out of the way.

“That’s a story in itself,” Chanyeol said with a sigh, nodding to the waitress and grabbing his cup. “Another story for another time. _You,_ ” he pushed the plate of food over to the starving man, “where have you been?”

Minho took a bite of the bread and shook, his eyes closing as he relished in the warmth. “I haven’t eaten in three days, this is magnificent.”

“What happened to you?” D.O asked, caught between feeling sorry for the sailor and being disgusted by him.

“Ligongo happened.” Minho rolled his eyes, missing the way the two pirates tensed up at the name. “Bastard stole our ship—”

“Captain Ligongo? _Pirate Lord_ Ligongo?” Chanyeol interrupted, leaning forward in his seat.

“How many Ligongos do _you_ know?” Minho took another bite before speaking again. “What, did he take your ship, too?”

“Something like that.” D.O and Chanyeol shared a look. “We need to know exactly what he did to you.”

“Okay, but, can I _eat_ first?”

“Eat and talk.” D.O waved him on. “I don’t really care anymore, you’re filthy enough as it is. Just—talk. _Now_.” He snapped his fingers a couple times for emphasis.

“So, we were just sailing, right? We’d crossed into his territory, but we’re not signed under some agreement like all you lords have, so it shouldn’t have been an issue. Anyway, we came upon his ship and he sailed over, and we didn’t think it was any sort of problem, just him coming by to see what we were up to.”

Minho paused and stuffed two slices of cheese in his mouth. “This is _so good_.”

“Yes, yes, what happened then?” D.O pushed on impatiently.

“Pushy.” Minho stuck his tongue out.

“You listen to me…” D.O growled, standing up. Chanyeol put his hand on the boatswain’s shoulder to sit him back down in his seat.

“Give him a minute.”

“Baekhyun really _has_ rubbed off on you, hasn’t he?” D.O scoffed but sat back down anyway.

“So then,” Minho picked back up a couple minutes later when the plate was mostly empty, “he came aboard along with a few of his officers and asked what we were up to, where we’d been, that sort of thing. Routine, you know?”

“Our captain is a pirate lord, too. _Yes_ , we know.” Chanyeol was losing his patience as well at this point.

“And he said he had a favor to ask us.” Minho paused. “He said, and I quote, ‘I need your ship, your crew, and for you to swear your allegiance to me.’ So we froze because, like, what the fuck, right? So then Captain Jonghyun came up on the deck with me and Taemin and was like ‘what do you want?’”

“He wanted your loyalty?” D.O shot a look at Chanyeol.

Minho nodded. “We said no, though, because he wouldn’t give us a reason, just that he needed our ship for something. So then he got mad that we said no, and he ordered his crew aboard to take over.”

Minho shuddered. “It was _bad_. We lost half our crew. Me, Jonghyun, Taemin, Key, and Onew got pulled in front of him when he was sitting in _Jonghyun’s office_ ,” he gripped the table in anger, “and he demanded that we swear ourselves over to him or he’d have us banished from the ship.”

“And you said no.” Chanyeol finished.

“He dropped the five of us at the next port and took off, taking what was left of our crew and the _Sherlock_ with him.”

“And he never told you what he needed your ship for?” D.O asked.

Minho shoved the last bite of bread in his mouth and thought while he chewed. “All he said,” he swallowed, “was that he was looking for something, and he needed our boat to find it.”

“Jongdae.” D.O turned to Chanyeol. “He needed Jongdae.”

“That would explain why he needed your ship.” Chanyeol hummed thoughtfully. “the _Sherlock_ is smaller than the _Chi bale_ , making it less noticeable.”

“The perfect size to sneak up on the backside of the _Exodus_ while the crew on deck were distracted with his own ship.” D.O finished. “I have to admit, that’s pretty brilliant.”

“And it worked.” Chanyeol let out a breath.

“You guys were attacked by him too then, huh?” Minho picked up on their conversation. “What is he looking for?”

“That means Baekhyun was right.” Chanyeol realized then. He turned eagerly to D.O. “In the meeting with Mistress Lei Fang, he said that it seemed like Ligongo was looking for something, which is why he took Jongdae. Because Jongdae is more than just a _navigator_ , he’s _smarter_ than that. With all the languages he knows and all his mathematical knowledge, it would be pretty easy for him to compare coordinates and read up on lore and legends.”

“So Ligongo wasn’t just attacking to take Jongdae for the sake of taking him. He took him to use him to find something else.”

“He was obsessed with maps. I don’t know if that’s helpful or not, but he was, like, _scary_ obsessed.” Minho spoke up, and both pirates whirled to look at him. “When he first came aboard, after he locked the five of us in the brig, he came down a couple times and demanded to know if we had any more maps that were hidden, apparently he poured over them.”

“So whatever he’s looking for isn’t just on a map. Jongdae has to _find_ it.” D.O hummed and leaned on the table.

“Jongdae’s your navigator, right? The little French kid?” Minho finished the last of his drink and leaned back in his seat. Chanyeol nodded. “Alright, so what’s your story?”

“Not here.” D.O glanced around. “We’ll have to tell you later.”

“There is no ‘later.’” Chanyeol glanced at his pocket watch. “We need to be back on the ship in half an hour. We need to go.”

“Can I come?” Minho stood up with the two pirates, looking at them eagerly. “Please, _please_ let me come. All of us! We’re still together, and we haven’t sailed in so long. No one will take us aboard because we’re so poor.”

“Sorry, but no.” Chanyeol shook his head and dropped a few coins on the table, and he and D.O walked out of the tavern and down the market road towards the pier. Minho followed, nearly tripping over himself to keep up.

“I don’t think now is the best time to be taking on more recruits,” D.O said carefully, trying not to hurt the ex-pirate’s feelings while trying to get his point across. “With everything going on—”

“I know where Ligongo’s heading.” Minho dashed in front of them, blocking their path towards the docks. “Let us on your ship and you’ll know, too.”

“ _You know?”_ Chanyeol grabbed the collar of Minho’s crummy shirt and slammed him into the wall. “And you didn’t tell us?”

“Insurance.” Minho coughed. “Give us a ride.”

“Where is he going?” D.O asked, his voice a dangerous growl. “You need to tell us right now.”

“Passage on your ship.” Minho shook his head as best as he could with Chanyeol’s fists against his throat. “Then I’ll tell you.”

“We can’t,” D.O said, exasperated. “We’re going after Ligongo.”

“Who has my ship.” Minho cut in, his hands on Chanyeol’s wrists as the quartermaster slowly released his hold. “It’s only fair.”

“No.” Chanyeol let go of Minho completely and watched him stagger for a moment to regain his balance. “Come on, D.O.”

“How much is Baekhyun worth to you?” Minho called after them, and Chanyeol froze.

“What?”

Minho chuckled. “It’s not hard to assume that he’s involved with this whole Ligongo business. He must be gone if he’s not here with you right now.” He crossed his arms cockily and leaned against the wall.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” D.O said, and he rested his hand against Chanyeol’s chest to keep him from lunging. It didn’t do much to curve his anger, though, considering it wasn’t Baekhyun’s hand on his chest.

“Baekhyun’s probably with Ligongo now.” Minho shrugged. “And you’d never find him because you’re being prideful. We’re good sailors. Let us come with you.”

“Y-you…” Chanyeol was shaking he was so angry. Minho stood there casually, watching the quartermaster lose it with an amused smile, one that screamed: “ _I win_ ”. “You _bastard_.”

“Come on, Park.” Minho raised an eyebrow. “How much does your little first mate mean to you? Your navigator? _What are they worth to you?_ ”

What _were_ they worth? _Everything_ was his instant answer, Baekhyun was worth everything. He would do whatever it took to get him back. He’d get him back either way, but with Minho’s help, it would certainly be a lot faster than without him. He just hoped that Minho wasn’t bluffing, they needed a direction.

Chanyeol took a breath. “A ride.” He fixed his furious gaze on Minho. “Go get your friends, we leave in 20 minutes. If you’re not there you’ll be left. I am not waiting for you.”

“Chanyeol—”

“It’s going to be a _pleasure_ doing business with you, Quartermaster.” Minho saluted and turned on his heel, making his way down the market street in the opposite direction of the docks.

“What was that?” D.O asked as the two turned and continued their trip to the docks.

“He has a direction. We need to find Ligongo as soon as possible, and we both know that the best way to find a ship is to have one of her own track her.”

“Sure.” D.O hummed. “But can we trust him?”

“We don’t have a choice.”

 

* * *

 

“Uh, Quartermaster?” Kris approached where Chanyeol was standing with Xiumin at the helm, looking over their maps spread over a table and weighed down with rocks.

“Yes?” Chanyeol acknowledged him halfheartedly while watching Xiumin gesture to a route on the map, his eyes following the pilot’s fingers as they traced over common shipping lanes.

“There’s some men who came aboard, sir, who said that they have your permission to join us?”

Chanyeol sighed and stood up, turning to face the confused boatswain then. “How many?”

“Five, sir.” Kris angled his body and Chanyeol could see the dirty men standing on the deck, gawking at the large ship. They were getting strange looks from all the _Exodus’_ deckhands, but no one approached them, unsure how to treat the strangers.

“Yes, they’re supposed to be here.” Chanyeol sighed. “Come with me.”

Kris followed Chanyeol who walked down the steps and stalked across the deck to the newcomers. “You made it.” Right as he spoke, D.O called the order for the mainsails to be adjusted and the ropes to be pulled in, and the ship pushed off from the deck. “Barely.”

“We weren’t going to turn down a ride on the _Exodus_ , now were we, boys?” Minho smiled sinisterly and cocked his head, eyeing Chanyeol cockily as though _he_ was the one running the ship.

“Let’s get one thing clear.” Chanyeol grabbed Minho’s collar and held him close. “ _I’m_ in charge here. This is _my_ ship, and _my_ crew. I don’t care how experienced you all are, you will be treated fairly and will start from the bottom and work your way up. Swabs, all of you.”

Kris grunted in agreement.

He let go of Minho after one more harsh glare and turned to the boatswain. “Kris, take them down and hand them over to Lay. They reek, get them bathed and clothed and then give them a tour of the ship. Make sure they know of the rules, and the way things are run.”

“Yes, sir. Downstairs.” Kris snapped, pointing at the door leading to the kitchen. The men looked scandalized at being treated in such a way, but Jonghyun must have thought it fair, and he nodded and waved for the rest to follow him towards the door.

“Minho, stay here,” Chanyeol called before the tall man could follow Kris down. Chanyeol waved Kris off when he paused. “I’ll have someone run him down when I’m done.”

Minho followed Chanyeol up to the helm, and he was directed to stand in front of the maps.

“I’ve held up my end of the bargain,” Chanyeol said gruffly, crossing his arms. “Your turn. Where are they headed?”

Minho hummed and bent over the maps, his finger tracing over the many islands and marked pirate ports. “Here,” his finger paused over Puerto Rico, “San Juan.”

“Xiumin, make for San Juan. Change our heading to Southeast, and adjust as needed.”

“Yes, sir.” Xiumin glanced at the map for a moment and then turned the wheel slightly. The whole ship creaked as her direction changed.

“Taekwang!” Chanyeol leaned over the rail and barked at the swab who was still carrying out his punishment from when the initial attack had happened. “Take Minho here down to the kitchen. He and a few others will be joining you in your swab duties, you’re to train them when Lay deems them clean.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Remember one thing.” Chanyeol grabbed Minho’s shoulder when he made to walk past the quartermaster and held him still. “You answer to _me_. You’d better hope for your sake that your information is correct.” Chanyeol released him and pushed him in the direction of the stairs, and Minho tripped on his way down, he would’ve fallen had it not been for Taekwang at the base who caught him.

“If you’re wrong, it’ll be your head.”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, _sir_.” Minho looked as though it pained him to get the words out, and Chanyeol nodded in acknowledgment.

“Dismissed.”

 

* * *

 

“You just missed them.” An elderly man, who must have been 60 or older, shook his head sympathetically when Chanyeol asked if he’d seen or heard word of the _Sherlock_ coming to port. “They pushed off last week.”

“Have you got any idea where they’re headed?” Kris asked then, taking over as Chanyeol couldn’t help the overwhelming anger he felt at hearing the man’s words. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not wanting to snap at the man as it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t have done anything to stop them.

“I can’t say for sure, I wasn’t working the dock the morning they pushed off.” The man hummed. “But my grandson was, come with me to find him—he should be around here somewhere.”

“Ah, thank you.” Kris and Chanyeol nodded their heads and followed the old man down the long dock back in the direction of the market.

“Jiho!” The man yelled, grabbing the attention of a tall, broad male who was probably a few years younger than Chanyeol. Jiho looked up and broke into a smile, walking down the pier to meet his grandfather.

“Slow down, Papa, we don’t want you to lose your balance again,” Jiho warned the old man with a smile, who scoffed and waved him off.

“Nonsense, my boy! I’m as fit as I was the day I boarded my first ship, in fact—”

“Papa, do you have something to tell me?” Jiho interrupted him with a smile, suspiciously eyeing the two pirates behind him.

“Do I? Do I?” He muttered to himself for a moment and turned around, spotted the pirates, and jumped when he remembered his message. “I do! These fine gentlemen,” he gestured to Kris and Chanyeol, “are searching for the _Sherlock_. You remember the ship—”

“I remember _that_ ship.” Jiho scowled. “What about it?”

“Do you know where she’s headed?” Chanyeol asked, stepping forward.

“Why the hell would you want to know?” Jiho asked, crossing his arms. “No one should have anything to do with _that ship_.”

“Bad experience?” Kris ventured. Jiho snorted.

“I’ll say. They came ashore, stole half of our catch for the day, made a mess of the market, and left again that evening. Assholes, every one of them.”

“Jiho.” The old man chided. “Don’t say such things.”

“We know it’s true.” Chanyeol calmed the man down with what was supposed to be a smile but ended up as more of a grimace. “We’ve had a similar experience. They stole something of ours, we’re just trying to get it back.”

“It looked like they headed west, towards Tortuga.” Jiho jutted his chin in the westward direction. “I don’t know why you feel the need to find them. Whatever’s gone is gone, move on.”

“If only it was that easy.” Kris sighed. Both pirates reached forward to shake Jiho and his grandfather’s hands. “We’ll take our leave, then.”

“Tortuga, then?” Kris asked, falling in step beside the quartermaster.

“So it would seem.” They made a turn down one of the side docks, heading for the _Exodus_.

 

* * *

 

“They were here last Monday? Tuesday? A couple days ago.” The girl nodded, thinking of the last time she’d seen the _Sherlock_ in port. “ _None_ of their men stayed long, and I was hoping to take at least one to bed.” She pouted, obviously trying to get one of the pirates to feel bad for her and take her up on her indirect offer.

Chanyeol sighed, annoyed, and D.O shot him a look before offering the girl a thin smile. “Have you any idea where they went off to?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty good at remembering things in my bedroom. Naked.”

Chanyeol choked, and D.O rolled his eyes. “Have you no shame?”

“No.” The girl smiled. “Any takers?”

D.O looked up at Chanyeol, who rolled his eyes and pushed his shoulder forward. “Go take one for the team.”

“I’ll see you in a couple hours.” D.O saluted and wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulder, bending to whisper something in her ear while she led him through the crowd, giggling in a way Chanyeol was sure got her all the boys. The straight ones, at least.

“Havana.” D.O made a beeline for Chanyeol when he was back on board. The quartermaster rolled his eyes, politely looking past the marks on the boatswain’s neck as he didn’t have the mental capacity to tease him about them at the moment.

“Your vest is still unbuttoned,” Chanyeol said shortly before turning to relay the instructions to Xiumin for him to call their heading as it needed to be adjusted.

D.O smiled sheepishly and his nimble fingers ran along the sides of his vest, doing them up as he wandered away from the helm to watch over the swabs. Chanyeol couldn’t keep the smile from his face when he heard the small boatswain call Minho out for doing a shabby job.

 

* * *

 

“I heard one of their men say something about Port Royale.” The man behind the bar said thoughtfully. Chanyeol hung his head in dismay, and Xiumin patted his shoulder sympathetically before directing him out of the tavern and back towards the ship.

“We’ll find them.” The navigator said encouragingly. “We’re already on their trail.”

“Yet they’re always one step ahead of us.” Chanyeol groaned, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “It feels like we’re on the tail end of some goose chase, and we just can’t get it right.”

“We’re doing everything we can.” Xiumin reminded him as they climbed the gangplank. Chanyeol was barely aware of Kris calling orders for the plank to be pulled in and the ropes to be untied so they could push off. Chanyeol followed Xiumin up to the helm and leaned dejectedly against the railing while the other male took his place behind the wheel, consulting the map for a moment before calling directions to the people manning the sails.

“We’re missing something,” Chanyeol spoke more to himself than the navigator, raking his brain for anything Baekhyun or Suho may have said before they left, or something they may have on board that would give him any clues. “Port Royale” triggered something in his brain, he just couldn’t remember what.

Chanyeol closed his eyes and took a deep breath, losing himself in the sounds of the ship. He could feel the waves crashing against the side of the ship as she _just barely_ shifted side to side as she sailed. He could hear the murmur of the deckhands scattered around the main deck, and of Tao, the gunner, talking over their supplies with Kris, and D.O was in the distance yelling at one of the swabs who was slacking off. He felt the vibrations of the ship as the water pushed against her, relentless though the _Exodus_ never once faltered in her path.

“I’ll be back.” Chanyeol murmured, pushing back from the rail and skipping down the stairs two at a time. He turned around once he reached the main deck and used his key, one of only two in existence for even Baekhyun didn’t have one, and opened Suho’s locked office.

Normally, no one was allowed in the captain’s office unless the captain was in there himself, as were Suho’s orders before he left.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Chanyeol spoke to himself as he shut and re-locked the door and wandered over to one of the bookshelves on the side wall, skimming the titles. He pulled other maps out and laid them over the desk, comparing them though none of them held a clue as to why Port Royale struck such a strange chord with the quartermaster. On each map, Port Royale was marked with a star like every other popular pirate port was (the smaller ones were marked with simple dots).

Frustrated, Chanyeol rolled all the maps up and put them back and continued looking through the shelves of books and scrolls. Finding nothing, Chanyeol turned and, after thinking an apology to Suho, pulled open the desk drawers and started rifling through them.

They were basic, exactly what he expected, filled with extra quills and inkpots and lists of known allies and spare parchment and a folded map and—

Chanyeol pulled the map out of the bottom-most drawer where it had been hidden under one of Seungsoo’s old journals. Their old captain may have been cruel, but he had kept an excellent log of the lay of the seas and his territories, one to which Suho referred regularly.

Chanyeol unfolded the old map carefully, the paper was thin and wearing through in a few spots, and laid it on the desk.

Each pirate port was marked on it, but they were different than on the other maps Chanyeol had seen in Suho’s office. Each port had a strange name written next to it, along with a date. A few of them had an asterisk-looking star next to the name, but each mark was different. And, unlike the other maps, the marked ports weren’t all the most popular ones. Port Royale was asterisked, but so was Montego Bay, and Belmopan, which wasn’t even a port.

Chanyeol studied the asterisk next to Port Royale and realized he’d just seen that mark, though he couldn’t place it. He rifled through the desk drawers again but came up with nothing that relatively resembled the mark, so he stood up, his eyes tracing the walls and the numerous books on the shelves. Abandoning the map on the desk, the quartermaster turned and looked over the books again, paying special attention to the spines and the titles written on them.

Chanyeol lifted his hand and traced over a book titled _Mythical Creatures and How to Handle Them_ halfway through the shelf directly behind the captain’s desk and eye-level. There was an asterisk at the top of the spine, and Chanyeol pulled it from the shelf, re-facing the desk and comparing it to the marks on the map.

“What exactly are you hiding, Captain?” Chanyeol cracked the book open upon noticing how they were perfect matches and flipped through the pages, holding the book upside down and shaking it.

An envelope floated to the ground, and Chanyeol, unable to help it, let out an excited yell and bent to pick it up. He set the book on the desk and opened the envelope, pulling out a letter written on faded paper similar to that of the strange map.

He skimmed the letter, addressed to Seungsoo from a pirate captain whose name Chanyeol did not recognize, but found nothing of relevance to any sort of mythical creature or pirate port. He flipped the page over, hoping the letter was continued on the back, but let out a sigh when the back was blank.

“Why would you go through the trouble of hiding this if there’s nothing here?” Chanyeol mused, eyeing the paper in his hands. He turned and held the page up to the light, facing the window, he took a spare parchment and a charcoal stick and rubbed it, trying to find some ridges indicating a secret message, but multiple ideas later Chanyeol collapsed in Suho’s chair with a dejected sigh, eyeing the mysterious letter laying innocently on the desk.

His eyes traveled over the map, which he had also held up to see if anything was written on and had come back empty-handed, and landed on the unlit lantern on the edge of the desk. Deciding he had nothing left to lose, Chanyeol lit a match from the topmost drawer of Suho’s desk and lit the lantern. He stared at it for a moment before picking the letter up, holding it up to the light.

Chanyeol leaned forward and squinted, noticing a black scribble in the middle of the page which seemed to overlap with the writing of the letter.

He pulled the page away and watched the scribble disappear, and held it up to the light again and watched as it reappeared, though it was still just as unreadable as it was the first time.

Chanyeol’s hands trembled as he pulled the cover away off of the lantern and left nothing but a lit candle attached to the base and held the letter up again, closer to the flame this time. The scribble was darker, but still unreadable.

Until he turned the page over.

 _Luhan_ was all that was written on the page. That, and a number. _63_.

“Okay, we’re getting somewhere.” Chanyeol murmured, nodding to himself. “Luhan. Luhan, Luhan. Who’s Luhan?” He set the letter down and stood over the map again, reading. This “Luhan” was the name which was written next to Port Royale, along with the date _27-08_.

But where did the number _63_ come in to play? The number wasn’t in the note on the map, so it couldn’t have referenced any sort of year. Six minus three equaled three, which wasn’t in the date anywhere either, nor did Luhan or any of the other names have three or six letters. Six times three equaled eighteen, which again, didn’t correspond with any of the dates or names in any way on the map.

“Progress was made.” Chanyeol reminded himself. He wrote both the name and number on the parchment he’d used earlier and ripped that strip off, folding it and placing it in the breast pocket of his coat. Chanyeol decided that he had made enough progress for the day, his head hurt, and so he folded the letter up and slipped it back in the envelope, putting it in the book cover and he walked to put it back on the shelf.

Chanyeol hesitated when he put the book back, his fingers tracing over the asterisk.

He hummed, turning around and looking at the map again.

“63.” He turned and looked back at the book, pulling it back out and flipping open to the 63rd page. “I wonder…”

Page 63 of the book _Mythical Creatures and How to Handle Them_ was titled “Mystics,” and just underneath that Luhan’s name was scrawled on in messy ink. The writing had bled onto the adjacent page, and there were a few blots where the ink had fallen onto the page, but the name was as clear as it could be.

Chanyeol felt like crying, this was it! He read the page, his smile growing more and more with each word.

Luhan was a Mystic, a magical being who could see the future, summon demons, and find lost things.

As of now, Baekhyun counted as a lost thing.

Meaning Luhan could find him.

Chanyeol shut the book shakily, trying to control his breathing and school his expression to head back up to the deck. He replaced everything he’d moved in his search, and recovered the lantern, and refolded the map. He slipped the map and the letter in the cover of the book and tucked it under his arm, not wanting to let it out of his sight until they’d found Luhan.

The quartermaster unlocked the door and forced his face into an expression of harsh indifference, heading back onto the main deck. He locked the door and dropped the keys in his pocket, nodding to D.O before turning and walking back down the stairs leading below deck so he could enter his and Baekhyun’s bunk.

Once there, Chanyeol dropped the book on his desk and collapsed in the chair at Baekhyun’s, skimming over the contents scattered over the surface. There were logs, and notes, and a few letters. A couple books were stacked in the corner, and in one of two drawers there was spare parchment, an empty journal, and inkpots and pens.

Chanyeol reached over and opened the far drawer, the one that was filled with a few of Baekhyun’s personal belongings. There wasn’t much, a locket Chanyeol knew was gifted to him by his grandmother when she died, a letter from his older brother that Baekhyun never responded to but kept for sentimental purposes (though Baekhyun was _far_ from sentimental), and a small, hand-drawn sketch of a painting his family had had done long ago, back when Baekhyun was still a young teenager and his brother barely legal.

He smiled at the picture (which bared an impressive resemblance to the original painting), at Baekhyun’s unruly hair and his young features which certainly matured nicely, or so he thought, and set it atop the desk so as to continue rifling through the drawer. Everything was nice and all, but Chanyeol couldn’t see Baekhyun having any sort of strong emotional connection with any one item in the drawer.

In order for Luhan to find the things that are lost, he needed some sort of connector. Something with which the lost thing, be it a person or an animal or an item, needed to have a strong connection with. Baekhyun had always been closest with his grandmother, so Chanyeol figured the locket would be his best bet.

Until he leaned back in the seat and felt the cold metal of their rings bounce against his chest.

Chanyeol dragged his fingers along the chain and pulled the rings out from under his shirt, holding them as he stared at the two thin, simple bands. Baekhyun’s was quite a bit smaller, and they had been lucky that the old lady they’d gotten them from and her husband had the same size fingers the couple did. Chanyeol slipped them both on two of his fingers, just to the knuckle, and studied them closely.

The rings represented them—their love, and their commitment to one another. Suho had noticed their matching jewelry the moment they’d reboarded the ship, their hands linked together as they both had felt especially needy and slightly possessive after they’d slipped the rings on each other. Their captain had given them a look and jokingly asked if they were married now. The pair had laughed his question off, shaking their heads and splitting up to tackle their respective duties. They never really had any interest in marriage, not thus far, and these rings were the closest they’d probably ever get.

Chanyeol liked to think that that meant the ring meant as much to Baekhyun as it did to him.

Meaning it meant a damn lot to him.

Chanyeol pressed his lips to the rings still on his fingers and tucked them back under his shirt, patting them as he felt them settle back against his chest. He stood up and replaced the locket and the picture in the drawer and shut it, pushing Baekhyun’s chair back under the desk.

He paused at the mirror and adjusted his coat, his eyes wandering back to the bed. Feeling nostalgic déjà vu, Chanyeol remembered when he’d been in this exact same position nearly a month ago, watching Baekhyun cry because he had to leave, just before he’d been locked to the bed by his lover who was evidently a _very_ good actor.

Chanyeol shook his head, ridding himself of the regret and sorrow he’d seen in Baekhyun’s eyes the second he’d felt the metal clamp down around his wrist while absentmindedly rubbing that same wrist as if he remembered the feeling of the cuff.

He did.

He remembered the tightness of the cuff around his wrist as he’d tried pulling away from the wall, the desperation he felt as he was completely willing to _break_ his wrist if just to keep Baekhyun aboard the _Exodus_. He remembered the fierce decision in Baekhyun’s eyes, the finality of his footsteps as he’d shut the door, leaving Chanyeol behind. He remembered how the sound of Baekhyun’s ring hitting the desk echoed in his mind, though the sound had been barely audible, as though Baekhyun had placed it there to taunt him. He had been out of reach then, and he was out of reach now.

Chanyeol had been able to reach the ring, now he had to grab the owner.

 

* * *

 

“Quartermaster?” D.O called through Chanyeol’s door as he knocked, and the quartermaster groaned and rolled over in his bed, pulling the blanket tighter around him. “ _Quartermaster_.”

Chanyeol cracked his eyes open, though he couldn’t see much, not that that was surprising. He almost always rose with or just after the sun, meaning that if he was being _woken_ by someone it must still be dark out.

“Quartermaster.” The boatswain called again. “Sir, are you up?”

“No,” Chanyeol grunted back, rolling over onto his stomach and facing his face towards the window.

“Sir, we’re approaching the swamp. You need to get up and ready for your meeting with Luhan.”

“My what?” Chanyeol always had been a bit groggy when he woke up too quickly.

“Your meeting, sir.”

“My meeting.”

“With Luhan.”

“With Luhan…” Chanyeol mused, burying his face in the pillow.

“Fucking Christ, Chanyeol, can you come open the door so I know you’re alive?” D.O hissed, pounding on the door so hard Chanyeol thought it would come off its hinges.

“Baek, can you go let the munchkin in?” Chanyeol whispered, already half asleep again. While his lover preferred sleeping later than Chanyeol did, hence why he was given more night shifts than the quartermaster was, he was able to wake up faster and regain full control of his limbs, even when he was woken up at an _ungodly hour of the morning_.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol pushed up on his elbows and looked over at the other side of the bed, expecting to see Baekhyun curled up on his side moaning about having to get up so early, and it took him a moment to remember that Baekhyun wasn’t here, that he was alone. Then Luhan’s name registered, and Chanyeol rolled out of bed with a groan.

“Chanyeol?” D.O called through the door again. “Wake the fuck up.”

“I’m up.” He hissed at D.O when he opened the door before the boatswain could knock again, glaring at him before slamming it shut. His mood had dampened, and this wasn’t the first time.

It was hard enough waking up alone every morning when he yearned to lean over and kiss Baekhyun, and smile and tease him while the first mate would swat at his face and demand to be left alone to get more sleep. It was worse, though, when he forgot. Those few times he’d wake up earlier than he needed to and automatically throw his arm over to rest it on Baekhyun’s waist and pull him closer, ready to curl up and fall back asleep. Or when he’d be up on deck later than usual and drag himself back down to his quarters and pull his coat off, saying something along the lines of “why am I dealing with them, it’s after sundown, this is your territory,” and his mood would become immensely sour when he didn’t hear back a “you’re such an old man, you get cranky if you don’t sleep just after dinner.”

Chanyeol calmed himself back down, though, knowing today was not the day to go up on deck in a bad mood, not as they were approaching Luhan’s territory. Chanyeol double checked that his belt and sword were secure and that his and Baekhyun’s rings were dangling around his neck and pushed out of his room, making his way up to the main deck.

While last night when he’d gone down to bed he had still seen nothing but open ocean, that morning was a completely different world. The ship made its way to the mouth of a river, where Xiumin was steering it towards a small dock there only for tying up ships too large to travel down the small river which cut through the center of a heavily wooded, foggy island. It was strange, and a little terrifying, but Chanyeol swallowed his fear.

 _For Baekhyun_ , he reminded himself, his right hand resting on his chest and pressing their rings right into his sternum. Xiumin called the orders to tie up the sails, and D.O took his usual spot standing on the side railing to watch the deckhands who were charged with tying the ship. Kris stood on the other side of the deck as other deckhands unloaded the rowboats that would be used to venture down the river, all by the light of lit lanterns scattered around the deck.

“I see you’ve finally decided to join us.” D.O hopped down from the railing and fell in step beside Chanyeol as he made his way towards Kris.

“Is everything ready?” Chanyeol ignored D.O’s snappy remark and spoke instead to Kris, who nodded. “Two boats, enough for you, me, D.O, Xiumin, Tao, Sehun, Kai, Taeil, and Jaehyo.”

“Good.” Chanyeol nodded and took a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.”

The nine pirates filled the boats, which were promptly lowered into the water, and the deckhands pulled out the oars and began rowing.

Once they entered the moth of the river, both boats shuddered violently for a moment, and all the pirates grabbed the edges and the seats to keep from falling out. Sehun, a low-ranked deckhand, but trustworthy nonetheless, accidentally dropped his oar in surprise and yelled out as it began floating away. Chanyeol was about to suggest they grab a rope and see if they could hook it when the other three deckhands who had been rowing lost their oars too, some mysterious creatures pulling at them. D.O and Chanyeol had to grab a hold on Taeil, lest the poor deckhand get pulled overboard with his oar.

“Now what?” D.O asked once Taeil sat back down in his seat and took a shaky breath, grabbing the bench below him with white knuckles.

“I don’t—” Chanyeol looked around in confusion when the boats began moving themselves, following the current of the river through the forest. “Nothing, I guess.”

“This is weird,” Kris called from the other rowboat. “Is this supposed to happen?”

“Not that I know of.” Chanyeol shook his head and gently stepped up to the front of his boat, grabbing the lantern off the hook and lifting it above his head. He looked through the forest, but the deeper into the island they got the foggier it got, and the harder it was to see. “Let’s just let them go and see what happens.”

The strange journey must have been Luhan’s doing, for their boats floated down the river and stopped at a small, worn-down pier. The Chanyeol was the first one out of the boat, followed by the deckhands to tie the boats to the dock. In the distance, and through the fog, he could just make out a small house lit up with different colored lanterns outside. The quartermaster turned around and gestured to the hut, and the crew followed him down a rocked path towards the lights.

Before Chanyeol could knock, a small Mystic pulled the door open and glared up at Chanyeol.

“You’d better have a good reason for being here.”

“Are you Luhan?” Chanyeol ventured.

“No, it’s Baekhyun.” The quartermaster stiffened, and Luhan let out a light, fairy-like laugh. “Yes, I’m Luhan. And you must be the boys from the _Exodus_. Come in, I may live in a swamp but I haven’t lost all my manners.”

The Mystic stepped aside and ushered the pirates in, all of whom shared wary looks. He stopped Tao, though, when he, Sehun, Kai, Taeil, and Jaehyo tried to enter. “Not you.” He shook his head and crinkled his nose. “Too much energy.” Luhan slammed the door and bolted it.

“Don’t bother explaining why you’re here, I already know.” Luhan pointed at Chanyeol, Kris, D.O, and Xiumin and pointed to a table surrounded by five empty chairs. Luhan took one of them, and the four sat down gingerly in the others.

“Now,” Luhan set a small, kaleidoscope-looking crystal ball on the table along with a glass jar of sand and a metal can filled with what Chanyeol assumed were animal bones. “You want to find your captain, your first mate, and your navigator, yes?”

He looked at the quartermaster and he nodded.

“Good. Easy.” Luhan opened the large jar of sand and looked expectantly around the table. “Have you something related emotionally to one of the men who is lost?”

The other pirates around the table looked expectantly at Chanyeol, who nodded and slowly lifted the chain from around his head. Chanyeol unclasped it and slid his ring off, handing the chain to Luhan who hummed.

“This is Baekhyun’s.” It wasn’t a question, and Luhan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I can feel him through this. It was important to him.” He fixed his gaze on Chanyeol and nodded once. “This is good.”

He held the ring between his fingers and thrust his hand in the jar, burying the ring in the sand. He closed the jar up and shook it a few times, losing the ring in the sand.

“And what about payment?” The pirates all looked at Chanyeol again, who took a deep breath.

“What do you want?”

Luhan laughed again. “Oh, _no_ , quartermaster, it’s not about what I want. It’s about how much these men are worth to you.” Luhan breathed in through his nose and held it, his hands hovering over the crystal ball for a moment. “They are all pure, _strong_. Their souls are some of the cleanest I’ve ever seen, by pirate standards, of course.” He hummed, withdrawing his hands. “A fair trade would be two of your men.”

“What? Isn’t there anything material—” D.O tried to argue, but Luhan shut him up with a single look.

He refaced Chanyeol. “That is my term. You leave two of your men who are standing outside right now and I will locate your crewmates for you. If not, then you can leave. Now.” Luhan made to stand up, but Chanyeol reached out and grabbed the Mystic’s arm.

“Okay.”

“ _Chanyeol_.” Kris looked scandalized. The quartermaster refused to look at the others at the table.

“You’ll get two of them. Just—just tell me where he is.”

“Isn’t it amazing how love can cloud one’s judgment?” Luhan mused happily, sitting back down delicately. “Quiet now, I’m going to find them. Just...” Luhan paused and waved his hands around for a moment, "think about them. Anything, just pour through your memories of them. Your happiest memories, relive them, bring them to the front of your mind. It will give them more of a presence, it'll be easier to find them."

Chanyeol took a deep breath, remembering Baekhyun. Baekhyun, up on the deck, laughing as he sword-fought with some of the deckhands to get them more practice. Baekhyun, scaling the masts in mere seconds, racing some of the other officers. Baekhyun, dressing and re-dressing Chanyeol's wounds after a fight. Baekhyun, the first time they made love, and every time after.  _Baekhyun._

The pirates all sat silently and watched Luhan’s hands hover around the crystal ball. He mumbled a few strange words, then picked up the metal can and dumped the bones out. He consulted the bones scattered on the table, then returned to the crystal ball, and then he looked up at Chanyeol with a slight nod.

“The _Sherlock_ is heading for Port-au-Prince,” Luhan said with finality. He sat up straight and leveled his eyes at Chanyeol. “You have a week to catch up before they move on.”

“Thank you.” D.O nodded to the Mystic, standing up. The other pirates all stood up as well, and Luhan dug Baekhyun’s ring out of the jar and gave it back to the quartermaster.

“Send my payment inside.” Luhan led the pirates to the door. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again, Quartermaster Chanyeol.”

“You won’t.” Chanyeol shook his head and walked out the door.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Luhan said, and then he smiled down at Sehun and Kai. “Boys! Oh, come here.”

The two deckhands turned and looked up at the Mystic, confused until Chanyeol waved them forward.

Luhan pressed a hand to each of their cheeks. “Won’t you come in?”

His hands glowed purple for a moment, and then Sehun and Kai walked into the hut without looking back. Luhan refaced the pirates standing along the rocked path, watching their deckhands be taken over.

“It has been a _pleasure_ doing business with you.”

 

* * *

 

“Remember,” Chanyeol addressed the crew, all lined up and standing at attention on the deck. “You wait for my signal. Ligongo needs to think nothing is amiss. Once I give the signal, _then_ you will swing over and attack. Only will I give the signal when I lay eyes on either Captain Kim or First Mate Baekhyun.”

“Quartermaster, I have a visual,” Xiumin called from the helm.

“Go,” Chanyeol ordered, and the crew scattered, a few staying up on deck to look natural while the rest piled down the stairs, taking their places at cannons and arming themselves.

“What about us?” Minho approached Chanyeol while the rest of the crew ran to their stations.

Chanyeol took an annoyed breath. “We will discuss that _after_ I get back the captain, navigator, and first mate.”

“I want to know _for_ _sure_ we’re getting our ship back.” Minho hissed, blocking Chanyeol’s way when he tried pushing around the swab.

“ _Go downstairs_ ,” Chanyeol spoke lowly, holding his hand out to keep Minho from trying to step towards him. “I won’t ask you again, or you’ll have no chance at getting your ship back. Understand?”

Kris came up then and clamped a hand down on Minho’s shoulder. “Listen to your quartermaster.”

Minho turned and looked at the boatswain then returned his attention to Chanyeol. “Yes, _sir._ ”

Chanyeol turned and stalked up to the bow of the ship, spotting the _Sherlock_ on the horizon when he reached the railing. He took a deep breath and steeled himself, putting his mind only on taking over the _Sherlock_ and getting Baekhyun back.

He reviewed his plan in his head, berating himself. Baekhyun always was better at making plans, he was much sneakier than Chanyeol could ever hope to be. He just hoped it would be enough to get them _on_ the ship, after that Baekhyun and Suho would play off their plan. They were smart, they must have had something figured out already.

“What if this is the wrong ship?” Kyungsoo asked, coming to stand next to Chanyeol and look out at the _Sherlock_. “What if they’re not on it? What if they’re dead? Then what?”

“Well,” Chanyeol sighed and glanced over at Kyungsoo, shrugging. “We’re about to find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just FYI (this kind of goes along with the a/n on the last chapter) not all the exo members are the same age in this, nor are their ages the same as their real ages.
> 
> Suho: 32  
> Baekhyun: 27  
> Chanyeol: 28  
> Jongdae: 21  
> Xiumin: 30  
> Kris: 25  
> D.O: 26  
> Tao: 23  
> Sehun: 19  
> Kai: 18
> 
> This is at the current time of the story. So, basically, Chanyeol has been a pirate for the longest along with Suho, for around 10 years. They revolted when Chanyeol was 21, so they've been their own crew for 7 years at the start of this story. Baekhyun and Chanyeol got together a while later, when they were 26/27.
> 
> Just some extra clarification :-)
> 
> I hope you all are still enjoying!!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment if you liked it, or if you have any questions, or if you just want to talk!! I always love seeing comments on my stuff, it makes me happy that someone out there is enjoying it.
> 
> come say hi to me on twitter!! [loeysxdaisies](https://twitter.com/loeysxdaises)
> 
> curious cat for those of you shy little beans (i'd still love hear from you!) [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/loeysxdaisies)


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